Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Minor nabbed with P140K in shabu By Ernie N. Olson Jr.
A MINOR from Cavite was arrested by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents, after he tried to sell P140,000 worth of shabu to them along Session Road Extension on Tuesday afternoon.
Chief Inspector Edgar Apalla, officer-in-charge (OIC) of the PDEA in the Cordillera, described the arrested suspect to be only 17, single and a fourth year high school student, who resides with his elder sister in Lot 3, Block 47, Ismael, Dasmarinas, Cavite.
According to Apalla, the alleged drug pusher was arrested by PDEA-Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) personnel in front of the Quezon Elementary School along Session Road Extension at around 2:50 a.m. of August 25.
This resulted, after an informant revealed to them that the suspect wanted to get him as an illegal drug courier, but when the said informant turned down the offer, he was asked instead to inform the suspect about any prospective buyer of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride if he comes across any.
After the informant informed the suspect through cell phone that he was able to find a buyer, they transacted for the latter to bring his stash up to Baguio for the supposed sale, with the suspect not knowing the buyer was the PDEA itself.
When the suspect arrived in the city, he told the informant he would meet him and their supposed buyer in front of the Quezon Elementary School, where he was immediately arrested during the buy-bust operation.
Seized from the suspect were two medium heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing a white crystalline substance believed to be shabu weighing approximately five grams each, or 10 grams, and a Nokia 1200 cellphone with a Talk N' Text subscriber identification module.
According to Apalla, the shabu has a Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value of P60,000 and an illicit street value of P140,000.
After the evidence was properly documented, these were turned over to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory in Camp Bado Dangwa, La Trinidad, Benguet for the conduct of a laboratory test.
Apalla said this was to determine whether the contents of the seized sachets would prove positive for the presence of the suspected illegal or dangerous drug.
The suspect was brought to the medico-legal officer of the Baguio General Hospital who conducted a physical examination on him, before he was put through a urine test for the possible use of the illegal drug.
