ORMOC CITY– A 48-year-old farmer listed as a street level individual on the local drug watchlist was arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Station Drug Enforcement Team (SDET) on Sunday night, May 25, in Barangay Libo, Carigara, Leyte.
Carigara Chief of Police Major Reymund Quinagutan identified the suspect as alias “Chito,” single and a resident of the said barangay.
During the operation, police operatives were able to purchase one sachet of suspected shabu from the suspect using a marked P500 bill. A subsequent body search, conducted in the presence of witnesses as required by law, yielded three more sachets of the same substance, along with the marked bill and P313 in various denominations.
According to Quinagutan, the total estimated weight of the seized suspected shabu was 0.5 grams, with a Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value of approximately P3,400.
The suspect was immediately informed of his rights and the nature of his arrest in a language he fully understood. He is currently detained at the Carigara Municipal Police Station while charges for violation of Section 5 (selling illegal drugs) and Section 11 (possession of illegal drugs) under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are being prepared.
(ROBERT DEJON)
