TWO drug suspects were killed and 15 kilos of shabu wrapped in Chinese tea packs and worth more than P102 million were recovered by the police during a follow-up operation in Tanay, Rizal, conducted by the Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) of the Philippine National Police, together with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) last April 27, 2021.
PDEG director, P/BGen. Remus Medina, in a report to Chief PNP Debold Sinas, said they launched the operation following the arrest a day earlier in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, of a notorious drug suspect, Michael Abdul Lucas, where they also recovered P10 kilos of shabu worth P68 million.
As a backgrounder, Medina said the slain suspects, one alias ‘Alvin’ and his companion, whose identity was not established in his report, were members of a ‘Filipino-Muslim Drug Group,’ who were among the suppliers of Lucas. He added that alias ‘Alvin’ is responsible for the distribution of illegal drugs at the National Capital Region, Calabarzon and other regions in the country.
Medina added the encounter occurred past 11:00 pm along Highway 2000 Extension, Bgy. Sta. Ana, Taytay.
But whereas Medina, in his spot report to Sinas on Lucas’ activities, said that Lucas’ contacts sourced their illegal drugs from an imprisoned, unidentified, Chinese drug lord at the National Bilibid Prison (Muntinlupa), the slain suspects, he said, got their drugs from a Chinese national based in Hongkong.
“The said Chinese calls them and give them instructions when and to whom they will distribute the illegal drugs,” Medina said.
When asked by Pinoy Exposé about the seeming discrepancy, Medina said, “Marami silang grupo… very complicated.”
The official however stressed that their operation in Cavite last April 26 and their operation in Rizal the next day are “connected” as both are part of the PDEG’s ‘Coplan Chain Knuckle.’
Aside from the illegal drugs, Medina said they also recovered from the slain suspects one ‘Cefiro’ Sedan (WPT-539) and two fully-loaded 9mm pistols.
Provincial drug personalities arrested
In another accomplishment report to higher headquarters, Medina also informed Sinas about the separate arrest last May 3, 2021, of two notorious drug pushers in the provinces of Pangasinan and Misamis Oriental, namely, Mario Maddumba Valdez and, Marfe Sacaday Ubagan, respectively.
Valdez, 60, a native of Bgy. Mabini, Santiago, Isabela, was arrested at Bgy. Nibaliw West, San Fabian, Pangasinan, on the basis of a warrant of arrest for drug pushing (Section 5 of RA 9165) issued by Honorable Judge Efren Cacatian, of Branch 35, Santiago City RTC.
For his part, Ubagan, 19, a resident of Bgy. Amoros, El Salvador City, was arrested at Zone 5, Bgy. Luyong Bonbon, Opol, Misamis Oriental.
Medina said that Ubagan, listed as the Number 3 most wanted in his municipality, was nabbed on the basis of an arrest warrant also for drug pushing issued by Honorable Judge Maria Corazaon Gaite-Llanderal, presiding judge of Branch 40, Cagayan de Oro City RTC.
No bail was recommended in both arrests, Medina added further.