ACTOR Mark Anthony Fernandez was arrested by police Monday night for possession of approximately one kilo of marijuana at a checkpoint along Barangay Virgen delos Remedios in Angeles City, the Central Luzon regional police office reported Tuesday.
Fernandez, on board a yellow Ford Mustang, was flagged down by an anti-criminality checkpoint along MacArthur Highway, but sped off going to the City of San Fernando where the actor was later intercepted due to heavy traffic, police said.
Authorities from Angeles City Police Station recovered six packs of suspected marijuana weighing approximately one kilo from Fernandez’s possession. The actor is now detained at Station 6.
Fernandez was the third showbiz personality to be arrested by police operatives who had apprehended starlet Krista Miller and two models in Quezon City over the weekend.
The first entertainment personality arrested in the government’s illegal drugs crackdown was former starlet Sabrina M—known in real life as Karen Salas Palasigui—who was caught having pot session inside her house on Pulangui Street, Napocor Village in Barangay Pasong Tamo, Makati City.
The arrest of the showbiz personalities was part of a drive against high-profile drug users and pushers after the Taguig City Regional Trial Court branch convicted Joel Tinga, a cousin of former Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga, of drug charges.
In a 12-page decision dated September 20, Judge Antonio Olivete of the Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 267 found Tinga guilty of selling 10 grams of shabu during a buy-bust operation in Bicutan in 2009.
Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency under the supervision of retired director Gen. Dionisio Santiago entrapped Tinga who was reported to have a huge stash of shabu.
A poseur-buyer paid Tinga P60,000 for 10 grams of shabu. After Tinga was apprehended, chemical examination proved the substance he sold was indeed shabu.
Besides the life sentence, Tinga was fined P500,000. The court directed city jail officials to transfer him to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.
In northern Metro Manila, the Northern Police District anti-illegal drug operatives confiscated about P1.3 million worth of shabu and arrested five suspected drug personalities in a raid in Valenzuela City on Sunday.
NPD Director Roberto Fajardo said the P1.3-million shabu was confiscated by the District Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Group at Villa Rosario-2 Subdivision, Barangay Pasolo at about 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The police arrested AJ Makatabas, 29, and Angelo Nicanor, 30.
The two suspects allegedly tried to sell shabu to a policeman who posed as a buyer.
The operatives recovered from the suspects one sling bag which contained 21 plastic sachets containing about five grams of shabu each and nine bigger sachets holding about 50 grams each for a total of 560 grams of the banned substance, Fajardo said.
The raiders also recovered from the suspects a loaded .45-caliber pistol, a loaded 9-mm Luger with serial number 748502, and marked money.
The operatives arrested three other suspects identified as Rachel, 17, Beverly Villarma, 22, and Anthony, 13, residents of Malabon.
Charges of violation of Article 11 Sections 5 and 11 of Republic Act 9165 were filed against them, except for the minors who were both taken to the social service department. With Jun David