PDEA nabs shabu supplier in Puerto Galera

CALAPAN CITY – Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), together with the intelligence operatives from Oriental Mindoro provincial police office, have arrested over the weekend a suspected drug pusher here, who is said to be one of the “bigtime” and leading suppliers of shabu in Puerto Galera, the tourist capital of this  province.

In a report provided to newsmen on Saturday by SPO4 Joffrey Jacob, of PDEA Mindoro-Marin­duque-Romblon-Palawan (MIMAROPA) regional office who is also the one who acted as team leader in this buy-bust operation, the suspect was identified as Conrado Atienza Coz, alias “Dadoy,” 42, and a resident of Barangay Alag, Baco, Oriental Mindoro.

Accordingly, the suspect was caught red-handed while he was selling two plastic sachets of shabu granules to a PDEA agent who disguised as an illegal drugs’ buyer, along the national highway of Barangay Canubing I, this city, at about 5:45 p.m. Friday.

Aside from the two transparent plastic sachets of shabu worth P5,000, authorities also caught in the possession of Coz during the said operation two P500-bill “marked money,” three pieces of empty plastic sachets, a blue Honda XRM motorcycle (VQ3176).

The arresting team also confiscated from the suspect cash money of different currencies, and Jacob presumed that the monies were from foreigners who bought illegal drugs or shabu from Coz in the latter’s Puerto Galera operation.

The PDEA team said the suspect is classified as a “bigtime shabu pusher” and has been in the drug “watch list” who they tailed for so many months now.  Coz is also one of the alleged known suppliers of shabu in a Puerto Galera drug market particularly in Barangay Sabang there, the area where many foreign tourists abound.

As of presstime, the suspect is now under the custody of PDEA regional office here, while they are filing the case against him for violation of RA No. 9165, better known as the “Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,” and no bail has been recommended for Coz’ temporary release.