Police seize another big stash of shabu

Police seize another big stash of shabu

(UPDATED) Anti-narcotics operatives arrested on Thursday evening, June 11, a man who yielded over P2.5 billion worth of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu).

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Archie Gamboa said Muad Romorus Aberin Mongatara was arrested during a drug bust in Somerset Subdivision, Barangay Navarro in General Trias in Cavite at around 8:30 p.m. on June 11.

Gamboa said a poseur buyer was able to purchase P1 million worth of illegal drugs from the suspect.

Seized from the operation were 374 kilograms of shabu with an estimated value of P2.543 billion.

Also arrested during the operation were two security guards who refused entry to the police.

In an interview, PNP Drug Enforcement Group Director Romeo Caramat Jr. clarified that the operation was conducted in Lancaster New City in General Trias, not in Somerset subdivision.

He said they also arrested Mangotara's wife Maycy Naol Abedin, 24. The couple serves as caretakers of the house used as shabu warehouse.

Caramat said Mangotara is a nephew of a vice mayor in southern Mindanao.

He said the suspects are members of what the DEG calls the Mindanao group. They were under surveillance for six months.

“Allegedly itong grupong ito ay nagbebenta ng shabu online, so we will able to penetrate ‘yung account nila so nalaman namin ‘yung mga transaksyon nila pati ‘yung mga pino-post nila and then kami nagkaroon ng lead kung pano isurveillance itong mga nahuli nating suspek,” said Caramat.

“Itong suspek natin ay native ng Southern Mindanao di ko sasabihin ang saktong address, nephew of a high ranking government official, sabihin na nating vice mayor, they are a well known drug personality operating in Mindanao,” he added.

In his defense, Mangotara said they only served as caretakers of the house and they are not aware of what was inside the bags where the packs of shabu were recovered.

“Ang alam ko lang mga mga bag don na bawal pakialaman, yun lang po,” he said.

His wife, however, contradicted his statement saying that he knows the content of the bags and that they are being paid P10,000 for each bag that will be delivered by a Chinese national.

“Chinese pero di ko nakikita ‘yung mukha, naririnig ko lang pero wala akong nakita,” she said.

Authorities were preparing to file charges against the arrested persons.

The operation, which was led by the DEG with the assistance of the Cavite City Police Office, was conducted exactly a week after the PNP-DEG seized over P5.6 billion of shabu in a raid on a warehouse in Marilao, Bulacan.

Gamboa said they were still looking into the possible links among those arrested in this series of anti-drug operations. (SunStar Philippines)

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