13 arrested for drug peddling in Caloocan

Anti-narcotics agents arrested 13 suspected small-time drug traffickers, six of them Mindanao natives, who yielded 150 grams of shabu in separate buy-bust operations yesterday morning in Caloocan City.

Among the first to fall into the hands of the drug enforcement unit (DEU) headed by Senior Inspector Jose Valencia were Hapid Dapat, 20; Samer Mayo, 18; Noel Santos, 30; Jovencio Soner, 46; Johnny Bugis, 18; and Dato Bandara, 18; all natives of Zamboanga City residing along Zabarte Road, Caloocan City.

Dapat’s group was collared at around 12:30 a.m. shortly after one of them handed some 120 grams of shabu to a police poseur-buyer at Celina Homes 1 along Zabarte Road.

Valencia, in his report to city police chief Senior Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, said the group of Dapat had been placed under surveillance for nearly a month on information fed by concerned citizens on the suspects’ drug peddling.

The DEU said the suspects tried to resist but proved no match to anti-narcotics agents who outnumbered them.

Three hours later, Valencia’s men conducted another buy-bust in Bagong Barrio where they arrested Eduardo Lopez, 41; Alvin Madriano, 25; and wife Lourdes, 33; Josephine dela Cruz, 34; Rosnel Abary, 32; and Arvin Abrazado, 29.

The suspects, according to reports, yielded some 30 grams of shabu in plastic sachets. They did not resist arrest when they were caught. – Jerry Botial