2 nabbed in Occidental Mindoro drug sting

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — Police arrested two suspected drug dealers during a buy-bust operation in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, on Saturday, Oct. 10.

The Sablayan Municipal Police Station said its Municipal Drug Enforcement Team conducted the operation at 1:25 p.m. in Barangay Santo Niño, in coordination with other police units and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Mimaropa.

The suspects were identified only by their aliases, “Edwin” and “Edmon,” both 32 and residents of Barangay Santo Niño.

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READ: PNP: Suspected drug lab found in Occidental Mindoro town

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Edwin is a married fisherman residing in Sitio Matapat, while Edmon is an unmarried sales and marketing employee from Sitio Mapagmahal. Police identified Edmon as a target under their intelligence monitoring program and classified him as a street-level individual.

Police said an undercover operative bought a heat-sealed plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, weighing 0.26 gram and valued at P1,768.

Two more sachets, weighing approximately 0.37 gram and 0.34 gram, were allegedly recovered from Edwin. These were valued at P2,516 and P2,312, respectively. In total, the operation yielded suspected shabu (crystal meth) worth P6,596.

Authorities also recovered P1,000 in buy-bust money from Edmon, a blue Itel keypad mobile phone, and a Yamaha Mio motorcycle.

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The suspects and the seized substances were set to be brought to the Provincial Forensic Unit in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, for drug testing and laboratory examination.

The operation was led by the Sablayan police drug enforcement team, with support from the Occidental Mindoro Police Provincial Office’s Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, the MARPSTA-Sablayan MLET and the 405th Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 4B, in coordination with PDEA Mimaropa.

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Lt. Col. Winnerio Paguia Jr., officer-in-charge of the Sablayan police station, said police would continue conducting intelligence-driven operations against illegal drugs while observing legal procedures and respecting individuals’ rights.

The suspects face possible charges for alleged violations of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. /mcm