A Vietnamese national has been arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Makati City for alleged illegal drugs trading.
The NBI identified the foreigner as Pham Tien Thanh who was apprehended during an entrapment operation conducted by operatives of the bureau's Organized and Transnational Crimes Division (NBI-OTCD) last Jan. 21.
It said the Vienamese nations was caught "in flagrante delicto (in the act) selling ketamine and ecstasy.”
Seized from the suspect was "ketamine with a total net weight of 51.4596 grams, and methylenedioxymethamphetamine commonly known as ecstasy with a total net weight 13.3755 grams,” it also said.
The NBI said that both ketamine and ecstasy are “classified as dangerous drugs under R.A. (Republic Act) 9165 otherwise known as The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.”
After the arrest, the Vietnamese national was charged before the Makati City Prosecutor's Office with violations of Sections 5 and 11, Article II of RA 9165 in relations to RA 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The NBI said it conducted the entrapment operation after it received “an information that a Vietnamese national identified as alias ‘Liu’ and his unidentified cohorts are engaged in online peddling of illegal drugs, specifically ketamine and ecstasy, posted through the Telegram platform.”