2 nabbed for illegal drugs in QC

A Chinese national and his Filipina live-in partner were arrested yesterday for possessing 120 grams of shabu worth P500,000 during a raid on their residence in Quezon City Saturday.

Police officers from the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) confiscated shabu, assorted drug paraphernalia and a book containing the alleged drug-dealing transactions of Ben Ryan Chua, 27, alias “Mr. Ang,” and Joan Urbina.

Superintendent Andy Suan said the arrest of Chua and Urbina is the product of a three-month surveillance operations.

“Actually, we started following him after he was spotted visiting our target personality. We were able to establish his illegal drugs operations so we applied a search warrant against him,” Suan said.

Chief Inspector Rommel Ochave, head of the raiding team, said they recovered the shabu and drug paraphernalia in the master’s bedroom.

Suan said Chua and Urbina did not resist arrest but refused to divulge the source of the shabu.

Suan said Chua would use his cell phone to order shabu from his contact, then deposit his payment in his contact’s bank account. The contact would then tell him to retrieve his order from a motel room.

Suan said a number of people tried to get Chua and Urbina released but AIDSOTF chief Director Jeff Soriano ignored them and ordered the filing of drug charges against the suspects before the Quezon City prosecutor’s office.

Inquest prosecutor Arleen Tagaban initially ordered the suspects released on bail, but the intervention of AIDSOTF lawyers prompted prosecutor Meynardo Bautista Jr., to reverse Tagaban’s order.

Chua and Urbina are currently detained at the AIDSOTF custodial center in Camp Crame.   – Non Alquitran