Police, PDEA agents net 11 in anti-drug operation

By Juan Escandor Jr. NAGA CITY---A combined unit of Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested 11 suspects violating Republic Act 9165 or the anti-drug law in two separate operations here last January 21. Serving search warrants on five houses in Sitio Sagrada Familia (formerly Isla Sison) in Barangay Peñafrancia here, agents of the combined unit arrested eight suspects after several sachets of suspected shabu were found in the houses where the suspects were collared late night on Sunday (Jan. 21). SPO2 Tobias Bongon, Naga City Police Office spokesperson, said the suspects, who remained under the custody of the police on Monday, include Rodel Radores, 31; Maria Luisa Arbuis-Monterola, 41; Rodgie Sanchez, 31; Daniel Neri, 19; Mariano Milano, 47; and Ric Diaz, 33. Bongon said that on the strength of search warrants issued by Judge Timoteo Panga of the Regional Trial Court Branch 605th in Iriga City, the subject houses were searched where seven pieces of small sachets containing crystalline substance suspected to be shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and paraphernalia used in consuming the illegal substance were found. He said the house of Jayson Cuaño, under Warrant of Arrest Number IR-2018-5, yielded, as well, three pieces of small sachets of suspected shabu placed in a plastic container box found inside the closet. Cuaño was able to flee and escape when the operatives arrived at about 10:30 p.m. in Zone 5 of the sitio. There were five pieces of small sachets of suspected shabu substance, a matchbox of marijuana found and drug paraphernalia in the house of Arbuis-Monterola. Aside from these, the operatives also found a sachet of suspected shabu in the possession of Rodgie Sanchez, l alleged live-in partner of Arbuis-Monterola. Arbuis’ house also yielded a digital weighing scale and five sachets of suspected shabu. Moreover, three sachets of suspected shabu were found in the house of Asor. Bongon revealed that prior to the house-search operation, operatives responded to the report that an illegal game “cara y cruz” was on-going inside Zone 5. He said when the operatives reached the place where the “cara y cruz” was being played, Royales ran and hid in a dark portion of the area. The operatives saw Royales threw a plastic sachet which they later found and another sachet after the suspect was frisked. After the cellphone of Royales was confiscated, the operatives found out illegal-drug transactions with Milano and Diaz, who hail from the nearby town of Libmanan, Camarines Sur. Both were subsequently arrested and are now under the custody of the police. Earlier, at dawn on Jan. 21, the same unit of operatives arrested Joselito Cid, 33; Pablo Alarcon, 37; and Alexis Vibarez, 16, in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Balatas. Operatives confiscated from Cid, Alarcon and Vibarez 24 grams of suspected shabu worth P140,000.