Man caught with P3.4 million shabu

MANILA, Philippines — Anti-narcotics agents arrested a 42-year-old man on Wednesday for alleged possession of around 500 grams of shabu valued at P3.4 million in Quezon City.

Menard Villacorte was nabbed by operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Quezon City Police District during a sting in Barangay E. Rodriguez.

Christian Frivaldo, head of the PDEA National Capital Region field office, said Villacorte was apprehended after he allegedly sold a pack of shabu to a police officer who posed as a buyer.

The suspect is being held on charges of drug trafficking.

Meanwhile, a suspected gunrunner was arrested in Barangay Pinyahan on Tuesday.

Roldan Evangelista, 42, was collared by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group after he allegedly sold a .38- caliber handgun for P5,000 to a policeman.

Probers said Evangelista was a member of the Andoy crime group reportedly involved in gunrunning and drugs.           – Emmanuel Tupas Makati restaurant, bar padlocked

The Makati government has ordered the closure of a restaurant and a bar in the city for breaching health and safety protocols.

Personnel from the city’s business permit and licensing office padlocked Solomon’s 888 KTV bar in Barangay San Antonio and Lanzhou Beef Noodles Restaurant in Barangay Pio del Pilar on Wednesday.

City hall said the bar was shut down for violating health protocols and the curfew ordinance.

Under City Ordinance 2020-165, bars and similar establishments are required to limit the number of customers to curb the spread of COVID-19.  Another ordinance bans people from drinking liquor outside their homes during a public health emergency.

The restaurant also violated the city government’s sanitation rules, the city government said.