MANILA, Philippines - Anti-narcotic operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) nabbed five drug offenders during a buy-bust operation inside a suspected drug den in Roxas City, seizing some P1.2 million worth of shabu.
PDEA Director General Arturo Cacdac Jr. identified the suspects as Rowena Pangcoga, 45; Mangco Mercado, 27; Abdul Mercado, 22, all of Hermano Punta Tabuc, Roxas City, Capiz; Rene Atanque, 25; of Punta Tabuc, Roxas City, Capiz; and Kiatire Imam, 24, of Barangay Tangke, Roxas City, Capiz.
Belated reports said that last January 27, around 10:45 p.m., PDEA operatives conducted a buy-bust operation against Pangcoga in her house doubling as drug den in Hermano Punta, Tabuc, Roxas City, Capiz.
The operation resulted in the arrest of Pangcoga, her two sons and two customers who were inside the house.
When the operatives further searched the suspects’ house, they seized two large plastic packs containing suspected shabu, a piece of small rectangular plastic sachet of shabu, various drug paraphernalia and P1,000 used as buy-bust money. The seized illegal drug weighed around 200 grams.
Pangcoga will be charged for violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Section 6 (Maintenance of a Drug Den), Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 12 (Possession of Equipment and Other Paraphernalia for Dangerous Drugs), while the four suspects will be charged for violation of Sections 7 (Employees and Visitors of a Drug Den), and 11, Article II of the Republic Act 9165 or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.