POLICE seized over P1 million worth of shabu in a buy-bust operation outside along MacArthur Highway in Matina on Tuesday afternoon.
The suspects were identified as Rodmark Pantenople, 29, laborer, and a resident of Purok 13, Barangay Bugac, and his live-in partner, Denelyn Atanbulo, 23, a resident of Purok 23, Mintal relocation.
Maj. Estrello Ramiso, the commander of the Buhangin Police Station, said the suspects sold two sachets of shabu for P1,000 to the undercover operative.
After a search, the arresting team confiscated 90 grams of shabu worth P1.1 million in street value.
Also confiscated were a Samsung phone and the yellow Yamaha Mio used by the suspects in their illegal transactions. Accordingly, the two individuals were beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program of the government to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.
The suspects are already in the custody of the Buhangin Police Station while a case for violation of sections 5 and 11 of RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act) is being prepared against them.
The authorities have been on a streak of high-profile arrests. In December alone, law enforcers seized an estimated P5.8 million worth of Shabu in three separate incidents. Among them was a daring smuggling attempt inside the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology male dormitory compound in Barangay Ma-a.
The report said Jail Officers Honey Queen Sedon and Philip Beer Chagas were doing the routine check on the suspects when they noticed that packets of instant noodles were tampered. Upon checking, they found that the packets contained shabu with about P1.8 million in value.
On Dec. 2, Task Force Davao and police personnel manning the checkpoint in Barangay Sirawan, Toril arrested a man who was trying to bring in about P4 million of shabu.
