GENERAL SANTOS CITY–Police operatives arrested five suspected drug pushers, three of whom are students, in separate anti-drug operations in neighboring Koronadal City on Wednesday afternoon.
Supt. Benjiel Kirby Bajo, Koronadal City Police chief, said Thursday the suspects were nabbed during buy-bust operations launched by the City Police Drug Enforcement Unit and the City Anti-Illegal Drug Abuse Council in the barangays of Gen. Paulino Santos and Sta. Cruz.
Bajo said the first operation in Purok Sikap, Barangay Gen. Paulino Santos at about 2:30 p.m. resulted in the arrest of three students, including a minor, who allegedly doubled as drug pushers.
They were identified as Chris John Corpuz Panes, 20, of Purok Tuburan, Barangay Sta.Cruz; Julius Balolong Ong, 20, of Phase 1, Agreda Subdivision, Barangay Sto. Nino; and an alias Vale, 17, of Purok Gracia Villa, Barangay Sto. Nino.
Bajo said the three were cornered after allegedly conspiring to sell a sachet of suspected metamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” worth PHP500 to a police officer, who posed as a buyer.
The suspects yielded a medium-sized and large plastic sachets containing suspected shabu worth PHP1,000, various drug paraphernalia and a PHP500 marked bill used in the buy-bust, the police official said.
At about 3:40 p.m., Bajo said operatives arrested live-in partners Carl Renz Paloma Dumalog, 25, and Ariane Daliva Pagod, 23, in another buy-bust operation in Phase I, Agan East Subdivision in Barangay Sta. Cruz.
He said the suspects sold a medium-sized sachet of suspected shabu to a police asset who posed as a buyer.
In a subsequent search, he said they recovered 11 more medium and two large sachets of shabu worth PHP41,000, drug paraphernalia, and PHP1,000 in marked money.
The police official described Dumalog as a “high-value target” and is considered a new drug pusher in the area.
Bajo said they sent the recovered illegal drugs to the crime laboratory of Police Regional Office 12 (Soccsksargen) for qualitative and quantitative examination.
He said the suspects, who are under the custody of the Koronadal City Police, will be charged for violating Sections 5, 11 and 12, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002. (Alejandro Saludo/PNA)
