By Jel Santos
Around P2 million worth of party drugs were seized inside the condominium unit of a college student in Makati City on Monday morning.
(JEL SANTOS / MANILA BULLETIN)
The occupant of the condominium unit was 24-year-old Adriel Ryoichi Suzuki, a fourth year Human Resource Management student of an exclusive college in Taft Avenue, Manila. He is half Japanese.
Suzuki said both his parents are working in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, the other student apprehended was Ralph Jeffrey Esteban, 23, an Entrepreneurship student of the same school.
Director Guillermo Eleazar, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, said a courier who they used to deliver illegal drugs got suspicious so he reported it to cops.
"The driver got suspicious of the package because they do not want to disclose what it contains. After delivering the package, he went to the cops and reported the suspicious package," he told the media.
Around 10 a.m., cops coordinated with the management of the condominium unit and raided the Suzuki's unit located on Dela Rosa St. in Barangay Pio del Pilar, Makati.
Raiding cops found on plain view illegal drugs inside the unit. This prompted them to apprehend him.
Then, cops learned that Esteban was about to come to the unit of Suzuki to deliver ecstasy so they waited for him and apprehended him, too.
Suzuki told the Manila Bulletin that they are just doing business among their schoolmates.
"We are just selling to our schoolmates. Same circle lang. They contact us and we transact with them," he said while covering his face.
He said Esteban is a bigger fish compared to him.
According to him, there are people bigger than them who they can identify to authorities. "All of them are also students."
Suzuki said he just started to sell drugs last year due to his peers.
"Influence of my friends that's what got me into this. I really wanted to stop this. Actually, these are stocks na lang that I sell to those buying," he said.
Esteban, on the other hand, denied that he is a big fish, saying Suzuki is way bigger than him.
"I just brought him 20 pieces of ecstasy since my friend told me to bring it to him. Adriel is way bigger than I am," he said.
"This is just the first time I met him," Esteban said. "I don't even know him personally.
Senior Supt. Rogelio Simon, Makati police chief, belied what he said saying that 87 pieces of party drugs were seized from Esteban.
Esteban meanwhile authorized cops to search his condominium unit in Manila. He said police will not find anything inside his unit.
Police said they seized 657 pieces of party drugs ---capsules and tablets---, and various drug paraphernalia.