Parañaque cops bust ‘fishy’ drug trade

To conceal their illegal operation, a group of drug peddlers in Parañaque have been inserting shabu sachets inside the fish they sell to the public.

The Parañaque police discovered the group’s modus operandi following the arrest of several suspected drug pushers and users in the city yesterday.

Arrested were Josefina de Leon, 40, a fish vendor and resident of Barangay Don Galo, Parañaque; Marlon Melleno, 35, of Barangay Don Galo, Parañaque; Manuel Salanatin, 26, of Barangay Moonwalk, Parañaque; Dominador Seguin, 45, of Barangay Don Galo, Parañaque; and Rodolfo Ilustre, 25, of Barangay Moonwalk, Parañaque.

Superintendent Ronald Estilles, Parañaque police chief, said De Leon, the alleged leader of the group, came up with the idea of selling shabu stuffed inside the fish.

The group was apprehended by police inside De Leon’s house last Monday afternoon. Confiscated from the suspects were shabu worth an estimated P15,000 and drug paraphernalia.

Estilles said De Leon and her companions have long been under surveillance after an asset informed them of the group’s illegal activities.

Meanwhile, Parañaque police operatives apprehended another group of suspected drug pushers and users in Barangay Sto.Nino.

The suspects were identified as Jericho Villanueva, 17, of Bacoor Cavite; Lloyd Ferrer, 30, of Barangay Don Galo, Parañaque; and Candy Villanueva, 29, of Barangay Don Galo, Parañaque.

The police recovered marijuana and shabu worth an estimated P20,000 and drug paraphernalia from the group. — Rhodina Villanueva