P960-K worth of drugs recovered in buy-bust

ALMOST a million worth of shabu was confiscated from a couple in an operation by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) XI in Purok 2, Barangay New Opon, Magsaysay, Davao del Sur at 5:25 p.m. on Monday.

PDEA XI director Antonio Rivera identified them as Bangilista Naga

Eson, 31, a resident of Labungan, Datu Odin, Sinsuat, Maguindanao, and

Clarrish Flores Orevillo, 19, a resident of Barangay Sinawilan in Digos City.

Rivera said in an interview yesterday at the PDEA regional office that the couple was arrested when they handed a sachet of shabu worth P1,000 to an undercover agent.

During the operation, authorities recovered one jumbo sachet of shabu weighing more or less 60 grams with an estimated street value of P960,000. The contraband was hidden inside the bra of the teenager.

The PDEA operation

was conducted with the Davao del Sur Police Provincial Office Drug Enforcement Unit, led by Maj. Crisaldo Gaila; Provincial Intelligence Unit, led by Lt. Col. Ramil Macarampat; Davao del Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company, led by Maj. Yancee Butch Golocan; Digos City Drug Enforcement Unit, led by Lt. Narciso Saraum; Magsaysay Municipal Police Office, led by Maj. Jeffmar Tercero and Maj. Peter Glenn Ipong.

Rivera said Orevillo was included in their drug watchlist.

“Orevillo will get the items from his partner Eson coming from Cotabato City,” he added.

“They are just the distributor.”

“The amount of drugs they are supposed to distribute in del Sur is still a small amount,” he said.

Eson, in a separate interview, confessed that he already distributed drugs several times in the past.

But Rivera said the suspect was very elusive until the agents got a break when they arrested one of Eson's downlines in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur.

For now, the couple was detained at the PDEA XI for violation of RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).