3 nabbed for selling Ecstasy in bars

MANILA, Philippines - Three men who reportedly sold Ecstasy tablets to partygoers in bars in Pasig and Quezon City were arrested in a series of stings since Thursday night.

Philip Mendoza Salonga, 37, was arrested at a bar in City Golf Plaza along Julio Vargas Avenue in Barangay Ugong at around 2:30 a.m. yesterday, police said.

Salonga’s arrest came hours after Nathaniel Adrian Cruz, 39, was nabbed during a sting in front of a fastfood restaurant located along East Avenue in Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City at around 6:40 p.m. on Thursday.

A third suspect, Edward Nelson Jose, 33, was nabbed in front of a restaurant along Tandang Sora Avenue in Barangay Pasong Tamo, Quezon City yesterday.

Eighty Ecstasy tablets, with a street value of P120,000, were seized from the three suspects, said Senior Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar, Quezon City Police District director.

Salonga told reporters he got the Ecstasy for about P1,000 per tablet from “Alden Sandoval,” who had a courier deliver the party drug to him. 

He claimed it was only the second time he sold Ecstasy for P1,200 to P1,500 each, but the QCPD said this is contrary to statements by the two other suspects that he was their supplier.

Eleazar said the three suspects’ clients include well-off partygoers in bars in Pasig and Quezon City.

Police officers recovered 51 Ecstasy tablets – 34 “pink batteries,” nine “green monkeys” and eight white “mollies” – from Cruz.

Salonga had 14 Ecstasy tablets and three plastic bags of marijuana while Jose carried 15 pink tablets suspected to be Ecstasy.

The successive stings are regarded as the first “breakthrough” operation of the QCPD on higher-end illegal drugs and upper-class suspects, Eleazar said.

 “These arrests can lead us to higher sources in the chain of distribution and we foresee arrests of higher value targets in the illegal Ecstasy trade,” he added.

14 more suspects fall

At least 14 more suspected drug pushers and users were arrested in separate operations in Quezon City since Thursday.

Among them is Metropolitan Manila Traffic Authority constable Recto Castro, 35, who was caught repacking and using shabu along with Marivic Tradio, 26, in their house on Aurora Boulevard, Barangay Immaculate Concepcion at around 1:30 a.m.

Rowena Mabalad, 39, who is on the Galas police station’s drug watchlist, was arrested along with Antonio Basilio, 39, in a sting in Barangay Tatalon at around 4:30 p.m.

Edna Bunda, 41, and Imelda Mallari, 46, were caught in a bust at their house in Barangay Sto. Domingo at around 7 p.m.

Glen Gil Saga, 37, was caught using shabu in Barangay Sauyo at around noon.

In Taguig City, five persons were caught using shabu in Barangay South Daang Hari before dawn yesterday.

Jovie Arpilleda, 30; Sharon Lagunmbay, 33; Marlon Mercado Liwanag, 39; Francisco David, 43, and Lilia Montanez, 60, were arrested by police officers who were conducting Oplan Tokhang.

Drug den

In Pasig City, Marcos Castañeda, 42, and his pregnant wife, Alma, 35, were arrested for allegedly pushing drugs and running a drug den in their house along Lindayag and Diaz streets.

Joel Tovera, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Anti-Illegal Drugs Division chief, said the couple had been running the drug den for the past five years.

He added that they also received information that some of their patrons raped the couple’s 19-year-old daughter.

“That was why their relatives had their six children stay away from them since a month ago,” Tovera said, adding that Alma is pregnant with her seventh child.

The couple admitted to continuing to use drugs, with Alma saying she would use them for sex trips.

The NBI filed charges against the Castañedas for illegal drug possession and maintaining a drug den before the Pasig prosecutor’s office yesterday afternoon. – With Mike Frialde, Ghio Ong