MANILA -- Anti-narcotics agents have arrested a suspected notorious leader of a local drug group, together with three of its members, in Taguig City, an official said.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac, Jr. identified the suspects as Fe Bergonia, 43, alleged leader of the Bergonia Drug Group; her sons, Tammy Bergonia, 21, and Randolph Bergonia, 19, both single; and Reynante Sabanal alias Don-don, 26. They were nabbed during the implementation of a search warrant by the PDEA agents and the Taguig City police last Thursday.
Recovered from the suspects were 15 sachets of shabu, assorted drug paraphernalia, a digital weighing scale and five units of mobile phones allegedly used for their illegal transactions, Cacdac said.
All four suspects were included in the watch-list and have been under intensive surveillance and investigation of PDEA Regional Office – National Capital Region (PDEA RO-NCR) under Director Wilkins Villanueva for two months.
They were arrested at Bergonia’s residence which is only a few blocks away from the Barangay Hall and merely a few feet away from a private elementary school.
“For her notoriety, she (Fe Bergonia) was tagged as the ‘Shabu Queen’ of Taguig and had a warrant of arrest in 2004 for violation of the anti-drug law. After two years of elusive hiding, she was arrested in 2006 by the local police drug enforcement unit. She was released on bail, but continued with her operations until now. In addition to this, she even uses children as runners to do her dirty work,” Cacdac said.
The group allegedly supplies “one-stop-shop” administration of shabu to drug dens within their vicinity and several parts of Metro Manila and their modus operandi is to exploit children as young as eight years old as couriers to conceal their drug activities.
Charges for violation of Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 12 (Possession of Drug Paraphernalia), Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are being prepared against the suspects.
Cacdac said the fall of this drug group is a huge accomplishment for drug law enforcers and for the local government in protecting the community especially the children from illegal drugs.
“This serves as a warning to pushers and suppliers of illegal drugs, we will continue to strengthen our operations in pursuing violators of the drug law” he added, emphasizing that the children deserve a good future and should be protected," he said. (SDR)