Bank worker nabbed for P1 million party drugs

MANILA, Philippines — A 25-year-old bank employee was caught with nearly P1 million worth of party drugs in a sting by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives in Quezon City before dawn yesterday.

Carlo Santos was arrested along Mother Ignacia Avenue in Barangay South Triangle at around 2:20 a.m.

Levi Ortiz, director of PDEA’s Special Enforcement Service (SES), said 330 tablets, 50 capsules and 1,100 ml of the party drug ecstasy worth P942,000 were seized from Santos.

“We have been monitoring the suspect for about two months,” he said in a phone interview.

Santos, according to Ortiz, earns a salary of P30,000 from a bank he did not name.

“The suspect told us he earns more by selling narcotics,” Ortiz said.

Based on their investigation, Santos  has been selling narcotics to partygoers like him. They also recovered a WariActiv spray from the suspect, which drug users use to prolong the effects of ecstasy.

Santos is facing charges of violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. An investigation is ongoing to determine his source of illegal drugs.

Twelve persons were arrested for drugs in Manila, 10 in eastern Metro Manila and 15 in Quezon City.– Rey Galupo, Non Alquitran