MASANTOL An elderly resident of Barangay Santa Lucia here was arrested in an entrapment operation launched authorities on Thursday night.

The suspect identified as Abner Bautista, 63, was arrested in Barangay Santa Lucia Matua, Masantol town after claiming a package allegedly containing illegal substances.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said a package containing suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) emanated from California, USA and arrived at the Port of Clark on February 18, 2023.

"The package containing illegal drugs was initially tagged as suspicious by the X-ray inspector. K-9 sniffing and field testing using Rigaku Rogeny were conducted that led to the discovery and confirmation of its illegal contents", PDEA said.

Confiscated from Bautista were 50 grams of shabu worth P345,000, senior citizen ID, and cellular phone.

The operation was conducted by operatives of PDEA Central Luzon, Clark Inter-Agency Task Group, Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Clark and Masantol Police Station .

A charge for violation of Section 4 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act (importation of dangerous drugs) will be filed against Bautista.