3 suspected drug peddlers nabbed in Taguig

MANILA, Philippines - Agents of the Southern Police District (SPD) Anti-illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (AID-SOTG) arrested three suspected drug peddlers in a sting operation in Taguig City on Friday.

In his report, Superintendent Lorenzo Trajano, chief of the SPD’s AID-SOTG said the suspects were nabbed at about 3:40 p.m. at the passenger jeepney terminal of the Market Market.

Police identified those arrested as Salvador Mendoza, 31; Ronald Limpot, 34 and Edna Limpot, 30.

Seized from Mendoza and Ronald were five small heat-sealed plastic sachets containing about 100 grams of suspected shabu each.

Police also recovered from the two men a caliber .45 pistol with a magazine loaded with seven bullets and the P2,000 marked cash used by the poseur-buyer in the sting.

Meanwhile, Edna was also arrested during the operation when she tried to prevent the policemen from arresting the two men.

Police said the three arrested would be brought to the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office for the filing of criminal complaints.

Last October 19, the Taguig City Police declared that all of the city’s top 10 drug personalities have all been arrested following the capture of Alfonso Dacquel, considered as the “top third” wanted drug trafficker in Taguig, on the night of October 1.

"This is extremely good news. Everyone in the Top 10 has been barred from flooding our streets with drugs. This means our citizens, especially our children, will now have decreased exposure to this menace," Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano said.

Taguig Police chief Senior Superintendent Arthur Felix Asis said Dacquel, alias “Otoy,” and his wife Siena Joyce Dacquel, alias “Shen,” of barangay Central Signal Village, Taguig City, were arrested during a buy-bust operation conducted by the agents of the Taguig City Police Station AID-SOTG.

Chief Inspector Jerry Amindalan, AID-SOTG head, said the couple yielded six plastic sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu with a street value of P150,000.

Amindalan said his agents were very careful during the operation knowing that the suspect was a former Marine described as armed and dangerous.

Arrested earlier were the “top 1” and “top 2” drug personalities in Taguig identified as Michael Butch Tan and Sancho Espiritu, captured on August 21 and September 23, respectively.

Aside from Tan and Espiritu, the Taguig police also apprehended earlier this year Richard Silvestre, Isidro Llagas, Mardie Talampas, Jackie Abone, Adonis Venus, Bags Malay and Rawie Castro, all in the top 10 most wanted drug suspects.

Since Mayor Lani Cayetano assumed office as the city’s chief executive, a “total war” on drugs was declared.