Drug peddlers yield P.5M worth of shabu

By Mar S. Arguelles LEGAZPI CITY --- Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents on Friday afternoon confiscated some P510,000 worth of suspected shabu from four suspected drug pushers in separate drug operations in Iriga City, a ranking PDEA official said. Francis Manuel de Lima alias Bong, 39 of Barangay San Agustin, Iriga City was caught selling suspected shabu to an undercover PDEA agent in a room at Sam’s Apartelle at around 5:10 p.m. Friday, according to Christian Frivaldo PDEA acting regional director. De Lima was caught in possession of 25 grams in 7 plastic pieces plastic sachets of suspected shabu worth P170,000. In an earlier drug buy-bust operation at around 2:45 p.m. Friday in a room at Lendes Hotel in Barangay San Isidro, Iriga City, PDEA operatives arrested Ariel Regaspi, 40 of Barangay San Vicente, Bato, Camarines Sur, Joan Sabanal, 28 of Barangay San Isidro, Iriga City and Alicia Mae Dice, 19, of Barangay San Francisco, also of Iriga City. The drug operation yielded from the group 50 grams of suspected shabu worth P340,000. It also recovered a digital weighing scale, cell phone, and P1,000 peso bill as marked money. The suspects did not resist arrest and are now detained at the PDEA detention facility in Naga City. Frivaldo in a phone interview said the suspects arrested at Lendez Hotel were drug couriers that reportedly get their supply from De Lima, a high-value target in the PDEA’s drug watch list.