Four drug suspects were arrested while P207,000 worth of suspected crystal meth or "shabu" were seized in a buy-bust operation in Tagum City, Davao del Norte on Thursday, July 21.
Jeanette Honey Paulo, 33, who was the subject of the operation of joint anti-narcotics operatives led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), was collared along with Jomar Matarando, Joselito Hinggo and King Fahad Sansarona at 4:50 a.m. inside an alleged drug den in Purok Cadena de Amor, Mangga, Barangay Visayan Village.
An undercover PDEA agent who posed as a buyer immediately grabbed Paulo after the suspect allegedly sold one gram of shabu worth P12,000 packed in a heat-sealed plastic sachet.
Inside the drug den, the operatives confiscated two heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing 12 grams of shabu, assorted illegal drug paraphernalia, buy-bust money and boodle money.
Paulo and her cohorts face charges for violation of Section 5 (sale of dangerous drugs), Section 6 (maintenance of a drug den), Section 7 (employees and visitors of a drug den), Section 13 (possession of dangerous drugs during parties, social gatherings or meetings) and Section 14 (possession of equipment, instrument, apparatus and other paraphernalia for dangerous drugs during parties, social gatherings or meetings), Article II of Republic Act (RA) 9165 otherwise known as “The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.’’
The operation was carried out by the PDEA Davao Occidental and Davao del Norte Provincial Offices in Region XI, Philippine Coast Guard Intelligence Group Southeastern Mindanao (CGIG-SEM) and the Tagum City Police Station.