DRUG-PEDDLING FAMILY BUSTED IN CAVITE

AGENTS of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday arrested a family allegedly operating a drug trafficking business in Bacoor City, Cavite.

Arrested during the sting at Blk. 4, L19-B in Springville South, Phase 2, Bgy. Molino 4 in Bacoor City were Montaha Abbas, 43; his wife Norhata Bandong, 39; Bandong’s brother Datu Bandong, 37; and the latter’s wife, Elsie Dirod, 37.

All four are natives of Bgy. Labangan in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.

PDEA chair Director General Moro Virgilio M. Lazo said that members of the PDEA National Capital Region Office and Region 4-A Office, with the support of officers from the Bacoor City Police Station and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, conducted the successful anti-narcotics operation around 7:20 p.m. Thursday.

Seized from the suspects were a total of 3,500 grams of the “poor man’s cocaine” worth P23.8 million, the buy-bust money topped by a marked P1,000 bill, four mobile phones and a notebook believed to be containing notes on their illegal drug transactions.

Among the drugs recovered were the 500 grams of shabu initially sold by the suspects to an undercover officer. The rest of the prohibited substance were found in a box.

The four are now under the custody of the PDEA facing non-bailable charges for sale and possession of prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.