P249-M shabu seized from 3 cops, 2 others

Agents of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) arrested three police officers, including a police major, and two civilians in Ilocos Sur last Saturday for possession of 124 kilos of shabu worth about P249 million.

Reports reaching Camp Crame identified the suspects as Chief Inspector Rey Arcangel, SPO4 Victorio Malabed Jr. and SPO3 William Villanueva, all belonging to the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group; and Pelagio Manuel and his daughter Jocelyn, both residents of Batac, Ilocos Sur.

According to the reports, the five suspects were aboard a Mitsubishi L-300 van with license plate PKU-384 when a PAOCTF team, led by Superintendent Dennis Agustin, intercepted them along the national highway in Poblacion, San Juan, Ilocos Sur at about 9 a.m. last Saturday.

An inspection of the van uncovered the 124 kilos of high-grade shabu, an M-16 rifle and 9-mm. and .45 pistols.

The reports said the five suspects were apparently transporting the shabu to Metro Manila from the north where drug traffickers from mainland China are believed smuggling illegal drugs into the country.

In other successful operations, PAOCTF agents confiscated a total of 17.3 kilos of shabu in separate busts in Malabon and Caloocan City last Friday.

Eight Chinese nationals were arrested in the anti-illegal drug operations. They were identified as Su Zhi Shan alias Alvin Ching So; Wang Cuo Cuai alias Marlon Ong; Wang Guo Biao alias Gerry Ong; Ong Kim San alias Anthony Ong; Shi Hung Chin alias Domingo Ong; Rosa Ong Sy; George Ong; and Sai Qi Ming alias Robert Ong.

The first operation, a raid on a house on 9th Avenue in Caloocan City, yielded 800 grams of shabu worth at least P400,000. Five hours later, PAOCTF agents nabbed Su Zhi Shan after handing 16.5 kilos of shabu worth P33 million to an undercover policeman at the corner of MacArthur Highway and Araneta Avenue in Malabon.