Two persons were arrested and various illegal drugs worth P65 million were seized from them at a suspected drug den in Quezon City, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Monday, Nov. 22.
NBI Officer-in Charge Director Eric B. Distor identified the two arrested suspects as Ramon Loarca and Wilson De Lara Apalisoc.
They were arrested by agents of the NBI’s Task Force Against Illegal Drugs (NBI-TFAID) at Loarca’s in Teacher’s Village last Nov. 19, the NBI said in a statement.
It said that Loarca is a retired serviceman of the United States Air Force who reacquired his Filipino citizenship.
“During the conduct of the search, operatives found and seized staggering quantities of ecstasy totalling 27, 334 tablets, shabu, cocaine, kush, marijuana sticks, chemicals, laboratory equipment and drug paraphernalia with an estimated value of P65 million,” the NBI said.
“Also seized during the operation included a 9MM Uzi sub-machine gun, Remington shotgun, Glock pistol, .22 Automatic rifle, 800 pieces of ammunitions for different calibers, and a high explosive munition,” it added.
Loarca and Apalisoc have been charged before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office with violations of Republic Act No. 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The NBI statement did not state if the two suspects were also charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
It said the operation in Teacher’s Village was conducted after the agency received intelligence information that “a house in Teachers Village was allegedly used as haven for drug users by its owner, a retired serviceman of the U.S. Air Force.”
“Distor stressed that discreet monitoring was immediately conducted by operatives of NBI-TFAID under the Intelligence Service of the Bureau that resulted in the discovery of drug den and eventual application before the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City for the issuance of a Search Warrant on the Subject’s premises,” it added.