10 nabbed in Taguig drug sting

MANILA, Philippines - Ten persons, including two alleged drug traffickers, were arrested on Monday afternoon during a sting operation at the traffickers’ house in Barangay North Signal by anti-narcotics agents of the Taguig City Police.

Police said the house where suspected traffickers Melvin Alvarez, 38, and Chito Sales, 40, reside at 40 Pili Street, Plaza Nueve, Barangay North Signal, is also allegedly being used as a drug den where users may use the shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) after buying it from Alvarez and Sales.

Also arrested during the buy-bust operation where suspected drug users Omar Marcelo, 48; Sandy Balondo, 44; Charmella Jarligo, 20; Charlaine Jarligo, 21; Jay Ar Lagoc, 28; Marcelo Cullado, 40; Joseph Sandoval, 33 and Jerry dela Cruz, 46. Except for Balondo, those arrested are residents of Taguig City.

Initial police investigation showed that an undercover police officer who acted as the poseur-buyer in the sting bought a small plastic sachet of shabu worth P2,000 from Sales at around 4 p.m. at the alleged drug den.

Police said Sales then handed the marked four P500 buy bust bills to Alvarez. Police officers then raided the drug den immediately after Alvarez touched the marked cash.

Shabu seized by the Taguig police at the drug den during the raid was estimated to have a street value of at least P75,000.  

The seized narcotics were taken to the SPD Crime Laboratory while those arrested were taken to the Taguig Police headquarters where charges for illegal drug trafficking and possession are being readied for filing against them.

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 Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (SAID-SOTG).

Chief Inspector Jerry Amindalan, SAID-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, MardieTalampas, Jackie Abone, Adonis Venus, Bags Malay and Rawie Castro, who were 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.