Couple nabbed in cocaine sting

MANILA, Philippines - Anti-narcotics police officers reported seizing one kilo of cocaine from a couple during a buy-bust operation Saturday night in Caloocan City.

Chief Inspector Bartolome “Bong” Tarnate, Caloocan City police station anti-illegal drugs unit chief, identified the suspects as Mary Bernas, 35, and Reynaldo Bernas, 43, both residents of Limay, Bataan.

“The suspects yielded a bag containing around a kilo of suspected cocaine placed into two plastic bags with a street value of some P5 million but they sold this at a bargain price to a police agent for only P2 million,” Tarnate told The STAR. Tarnate said drug traffickers sell cocaine at a “very low price” for only few users could afford them.

Joint elements of the Camp Crame-Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force and the Caloocan City police led by acting chief Superintendent Florendo Quibuyen and Tarnate arrested the suspects along Samson Road at around 8:45 p.m.

The suspects were about the deliver the illegal drugs to a police undercover agent, Tarnate said. He said before the suspects’ arrest, the Camp Crame-AIDSOTF police officers nabbed in a separate operation a certain Patrick Etong in San Juan.

It was Etong who reportedly led the cops to the two suspects after the police contacted and ordered a kilo of cocaine from them for only P2 million. They agreed to meet in Caloocan City resulting in the couple’s arrest.

“The suspects agreed to the deal without knowing that they were already dealing with the police,” Tarnate said.