Combined police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency anti-narcotics operatives busted an alleged conduit of a big-time drug peddler with the seizure of about 7 kilograms of suspected “shabu” in a densely populated area in Manila early dawn Thursday.
Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde and National Capital Region Police Office director Guillermo Eleazar said the seven kilos of shabu with an estimated value of P47.6 million were confiscated during a buy-bust operation at the suspected safe house of a drug pusher in Barangay 7799 Zone 57, San Andres Bukid, Manila at around 4 am the other day.
Albayalde identified the arrested suspect as Joshir Bernardo, alias “JS”, 29, who was with his live-in partner when he was arrested at their residence in Onyx Street in San Andres Bukid, Manila.
The police seized the illegal drugs after undercover operatives completed a buy-bust deal with Bernardo, who sold a big pack of shabu weighing about a kilo.
Upon payment, the undercover agent immediately signaled a combined team of policemen from the NCRPO, the Manila Police District and PDEA agents, who arrested the suspect.
During the arrest of Bernardo, narcotics operatives recovered six more pieces of large plastics containing the suspected shabu weighing about six kilos worth P40.8 million. Also recovered from the suspect were a Samsung cellular phone, a gray Cefiro sedan bearing license plate XSA 507, which authorities said that Bernardo uses to deliver the illegal drugs.
Eleazar said that the suspect is one of the drug pushers employed by Loloy Hernandez, an inmate presently jailed at the Taguig City detention facility.
Eleazar said Hernandez’s operations extends to Metro Manila and Calabarzon, respectively.
“This is another significant achievement in our relentless crusade and drives against the proliferation of illegal drugs,” Albayalde said of Bernardo’s arrest.
The seized evidence was immediately brought to the Crime Laboratory Office in Camp Crame for qualitative examination while cases of violation of illegal drugs are now being readied against Bernardo.
Meanwhile, lawmen from the Quezon City Police District arrested three notorious armed robbery riding in tandem suspects along Barangay Project 6 in Quezon City past midnight Thursday.
Eleazar identified the suspects as John Christopher Liporada, 27, his still unidentified live-in partner and a certain Jaimeson Zhang, 27.
The NCRPO chief said the group was reportedly involved in the series of robbery incidents in Metro Manila and was planning to stage another robbery.
The suspects were cornered by policemen at the boundary of Road 10, along Mindanao Avenue hours after the group pulled a robbery at a steakhouse house in Barangay Bago Bantay at about 12:05 am.