DAGUPAN CITY — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Pangasinan on Tuesday arrested a high-value target and six other persons sniffing methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” within his property in Barangay Herrero-Perez East, this city.
Dexter Asayco, provincial officer of PDEA Pangasinan who led the operation, identified the arrested target personality as Alexander Lopez, alias Bong, during the conduct of a search at his home.
While serving the search warrant on the suspect’s house, six other persons were arrested while sniffing shabu in the adjacent house, also owned by Lopez, reportedly being used as a drug den.
They were identified as Alvin Cercado, Jun Fernandez, Mark Calulut, Marvin de Gracia, Nestea Regacho and Raymundo Rimundo, an alleged traffic enforcer in the town of Calasiao.
Five small sachets of suspected shabu valued at some PHP200,000 were seized in the operation.
Unfortunately, Barangay Herrrero-Perez East is one of the 31 barangays in Dagupan reported by the police as already drug-cleared.
It was learned that suspect Lopez was already arrested in July by agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for illegal possession of firearms and is out on bail.
Asayco said a PDEA agent earlier penetrated the drug den where he bought shabu in a test-buy operation, which resulted in the raid. (Ahicam Pasion/PNA)
