5 nabbed in P6-M drug bust

MANILA, Philippines - Five persons were arrested and half a kilo of shabu, with a street value of P6 million, was confiscated from them during a drug bust in Marikina City yesterday. 

Miralona Iyana Pimba, alias Alona, 30; Salim Lala Pimba, alias Salim, 38; Albert Alipato, alias Buboy, 42; Elaine Medina, alias Ella, and Aldrin Rebusto, alias Ipit 27, are being interrogated prior to being charged, Marikina police chief Senior Superintendent Vincent Calanoga said.

A police team led by Senior Inspector Glen Aculana, who heads the Station Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force, placed the Pimba couple under surveillance for a week and staged test buys following reports that they are behind the proliferation of illegal drugs in Barangay Tumana.

At about 8 a.m. yesterday, Aculana’s team arrested the couple as they handed over P20,000 worth of shabu to an undercover agent. Police officers barged into the couple’s house and arrested the three other suspects.

The P20,000 marked money was recovered from Alona while a subsequent search of the house yielded more or less 500 grams of shabu, said Calanoga.

The raiders also confiscated a weighing scale, two disposable lighters, a yellow plastic bag containing shabu, a Samsung tablet, a cellular phone, assorted ammunition and a bag containing P222,713.