PDEA nets drug courier, seizes P1.3-M shabu ahead of Peñafrancia Fiesta 2025

By Paulo DS Papa

IN a pre-fiesta anti-drug operation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Camarines Sur arrested a high-value target and confiscated P1.3 million worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation conducted around 1:00 p.m. on Monday, July 7, in Barangay Triangulo, this city.

PDEA Camarines Sur head Agent Adrian Fajardo identified the suspect as 53-year-old Beneranda, a native of Zamboanga del Norte and current resident of Las Piñas City. Authorities described her as a drug courier working for an organized crime syndicate.

During the operation, a PDEA poseur buyer purchased a plastic sachet tied in a knot containing approximately 200 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as shabu, for P360,000. Despite the sale price, the seized item is valued at P1.3 million based on its standard market rate.

Fajardo said the quantity of drugs recovered could supply the entire province of Camarines Sur, although the suspect had already distributed portions of the illegal substance in Daet, Camarines Norte and within Naga City prior to her arrest.

The suspect, according to Fajardo, had already completed two previous deliveries before falling into the hands of authorities on her third drop-off. She reportedly sourced her supply from contacts based in Metro Manila.

Beneranda is currently detained at Camp Simeon Ola in Albay and is facing charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (RA 9165).

PDEA’s intensified anti-drug efforts are part of its early security preparations for the Peñafrancia Fiesta 2025, the region’s biggest religious and civic celebration that draws hundreds of thousands of devotees and visitors annually.