KORONADAL CITY — Police arrested four alleged “notorious” drug pushers included in the drug watchlist here in a buy-bust operation on Friday evening.
Supt. Ronald Allan Peñaverde, Koronadal City police chief, identified the suspects as Bernard Tupas Lozano, 22; Aljohn Sibonga Banquiling, 20; Paolo Buas Abloy, 23, and Winston Bisares Ombid, 23, all residents of Barangay Zone-I here.
He said the suspects were nabbed at around 7:30 a.m. at a portion of Purok Tinago in Barangay Zone-I after allegedly conspiring to sell a sachet of suspected metamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth P500 to a police officer who posed as a buyer.
Seized from the suspects were one large, two medium and one small plastic sachets containing suspected shabu, various drug paraphernalia and P500 marked bill.
Peñaverde said they earlier received a tip from a concerned informant that the suspects had been selling shabu in their neighborhood and at a nearby night club.
“We actually received complaints from concerned residents and barangay officials regarding their illegal activities,” he said.
He said they immediately subjected them to a series of surveillance operations to validate these reports and eventually confirmed them.
Peñaverde they are currently investigating the possible links of the suspects to other suspected drug personalities in the area.
The police official said they sent the recovered evidence to the South Cotabato Scene of the Crime Operatives or SOCO crime laboratory here for proper examination and valuation.
He said the suspects, who are currently detained at the Koronadal City police station lockup, would be charged with violation of sections 5 and 11 or selling and possession of dangerous drugs, under Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002. (AMS/PNA)