MANILA — Operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) seized suspected shabu worth PHP74.8 million in separate “controlled delivery” operations in Parañaque City and Cavite and also arrested four suspects, PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino said on Tuesday.
Aquino identified the suspects as Dolores Lintag, Melchor Corocoto, Daniel dela Cruz and William dela Pizza.
Aquino said the suspects were arrested during the operations on Monday by joint operatives of PDEA Regional Office III, in coordination with PDEA National Capital Region (PDEA NCR), PDEA Regional Office IV-A, and Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Barangay San Martin de Porres, Parañaque City and San Nicolas, Bacoor City.
According to the PDEA chief, controlled delivery is a technique used when a consignment of illicit drugs is detected and allowed to go forward under tight watch of law enforcement officers. This is aimed at securing pieces of evidence against the organizers of such illegal drug trade.
The controlled delivery operation stemmed from a call received by PDEA Regional Office III from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) regarding suspicious packages reported from a freight forwarding service at the Clark Freeport Zone.
The report was immediately acted upon and the packages were subjected for inspection. The team took samples for laboratory examination, which gave positive result for methamphetamine hydrochloride.
The packages were placed under surveillance for two days.
On Monday, two teams were organized. One team went to Barangay San Martin de Porres in Parañaque City and the other proceeded to San Nicolas, Bacoor, Cavite.
Confiscated during the operation in Parañaque City was one box declared to be containing grill pan and stool bar, but was found to be containing suspected shabu weighing more or less 6.5 kilograms. The contraband has an estimated value of PHP44.2 million. Corocoto and Lintag were arrested during the operation.
In Cavite, the PDEA operative arrested dela Cruz and dela Pizza and also seized one box declared to be containing a piano chair. It actually contained suspected shabu weighing more or less 4.5 kilograms and has an estimated value of PHP30.6 million.
The suspects will be facing a case for violation of Section 4 (Importation of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of the Republic Act 9165 or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
