By Chito Chavez
Joint operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Saturday arrested a contractual employee of the Cagayan provincial government and a driver of a board member and confiscated 10 grams of shabu worth P70,000 in Barangay Centro 1 Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.
In a report to PDEA Director-General Wilkins Villanueva, PDEA Regional Office 11 (RO-11) Director Joel Plaza identified the suspects as Alvin Pascual, 23, driver of a provincial board member and Resty Misador, 36, a contractual employee of the Cagayan provincial government.
Investigation disclosed that Pascual and Misador were caught at about 1:40 a.m. of June 13 while engaging in a pot session.
The operation was carried out by board member Jean Alphonse D. Ponce and operatives of the PDEA RO II Cagayan PO and the local police.
Plaza said that the operatives seized eight pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, two improvised tooters, one pair of scissors, three pieces of used rolled aluminum foil, six used plastic sachets containing suspected shabu residue, and one lighter.
Pascual and Misador are now in the custody of PDEA RO II and will be facing charges for violations of Sections 11(Possession), 12 (Possession of Paraphernalia) and 15 (Use of Dangerous Drugs) of RA 9165.
"Day by day, we hear and watch on TV arrests of drug personalities amidst this pandemic. They never learn at all. Little did they know that anti-drug operatives are always watchful. For those who are still on it, stop now or regret being arrested. In like manner, we commend the laudable gesture of Hon. Board Member AJ Ponce worthy to emulate." Plaza said.