GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Police recovered illegal drugs, firearms and an explosive from three “notorious” drug pushers during a buy-bust operation in an outskirt village in Koronadal City late Friday.
Supt. Ronald Allan Peñaverde, Koronadal City Police chief, said Saturday the illegal items were seized from suspects Lescar Demalon Cantoc, 32; Melvin Calabe Delompongan, 35; and Edres Cantoc Utto, 31.
He said they subjected the three to a buy-bust at past 5 p.m. at the vicinity of Sitio Badac in Barangay Saravia based on a tip on their illegal activities in the area.
One of the suspects sold a sachet of suspected metamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth PHP500 to a police officer who posed as a buyer, Peñaverde said.
During the transaction, he said the three sensed the presence of police operatives and tried to escape.
“We were able to corner and arrest them in a nearby rice field,” the police official said.
In a subsequent search, he said the three yielded a pack of suspected shabu valued at PHP17,250, a caliber .45 pistol with seven live ammunition, a caliber .38 revolver with 12 live ammunition, homemade pistols, a hand grenade, various drug paraphernalia, and a PHP500.00 marked bill used in the buy-bust operation.
Peñaverde said they earlier conducted surveillance operations on the suspects, who were included in the area’s drug watch list.
He said Cantoc is a “habal-habal” or motorcycle-for-hire driver while Delompogon and Utto were farmers who reportedly double as drug pushers.
Investigators are looking into other possible cohorts of the suspects and their involvement in other illegal activities, he said.
Peñaverde said they submitted the evidences to the police crime laboratory for proper examination.
He said the suspects, who are detained at the Koronadal City Police station lockup, will be charged with violation of sections 5, 11 and 12, Article II of Republic Act (RA) No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002, RA 10591 for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and RA 9516 for possession of explosives. (Alejandro Saludo/PNA)
