The National Capital Region Police Office arrested three suspected drug dealers and seized more than P6.8 million worth of prohibited drugs during an anti-narcotic operation in Manila early Monday morning.
NCRPO chief Guillermo Eleazar identified the suspects as Rudy Kidlat, 20; Mark Anthony Alcantara, 32, and Rona Valenzuella, 37, all residents of Pasay City.
Eleazar’s men, in coordination with the Manila Police-Station 6 and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, conducted the buy-bust operation along Osmeña Road in Vito Cruz resulting in the arrest of the suspects around 1:30 a.m.
Recovered from the suspects were 10 pieces of plastic packs containing one kilo of shabu worth P6.8 million, a boodle money worth P1 million, a weighing scale, and a red Suzuki car used by the suspects in the drug trade.
Eleazar said the suspects were members of a criminal gang connected to a group of Chinese nationals engaged in the illegal drug trade operatiing in Metro Manila and Cavite province.
“They were placed under surveillance for more than a month until penetrated by our operatives and ensued through a front of illegal drug trade between the undercover agents and their negotiator,” he said.
Eleazar said the undercover agent who had disguised as client managed to buy one 1,000 grams or one kilo of shabu from the suspects during the police operation.
The suspects are now detained at the NCRPO Regional Drug Enforcement Unit office while the confiscated pieces of evidence were brought to the Police Crime Laboratory office for drug test and laboratory examination.
The suspects will be slapped with violation of Section 5, 11 and Section 26 (Conspiracy), and Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Dangerous Drugs Act before the Manila Prosecutors Office.
Eleazar assured the public that the NCRPO is on “its leap of maximizing its optimum capacity for the continuing fight against illegal drugs.”
In Makati City, police arrested 66 individuals for drug use and trafficking, and other offenses.
Makati City police chief Rogelio Simon said five suspected drug pushers were arrested and 38 sachets of shabu weighing 15.2 grams were confiscated. He added 173 grams of shabu worth P1.2 million were also confiscated from 10 drug dependents.
Simon also said that seven other suspects were arrested for attempted robbery-hold up, theft, attempted homicide and trespassing, illegal possession of bladed weapons, and rape.
Twenty-seven others were arrested for illegal gambling and one for illegal possession of a firearm.