PDEA agent nabbed in drug sting

MANILA, Philippines — An agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and a woman were arrested for allegedly selling illegal drugs in Quezon City on Friday.

Mario Luisito David Israel, 42, a PDEA agent with the rank of Intelligence Officer 1, and Cynthia Eusebio, 48, were caught by policemen in Barangay Sienna.

Director Guillermo Eleazar, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, said operatives from the La Loma police station responded to  a tip from a confidential informant about an ongoing drug transaction at the corner of Banawe street and Del Monte Avenue.

He said Israel and Eusebio were caught while in possession of five sachets of an undetermined quantity of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu. Policemen also seized a 9mm pistol loaded with 10 bullets from the PDEA agent.

According to Eleazar, Israel is currently assigned at the PDEA National Capital Region and was formerly from the agency’s regional office in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon).

Sought for comment, PDEA spokesman Derrick Arnold Carreon said Israel is in their roster but has not been reporting for work for several months.

“He was issued to return to work orders before he was caught by police,” he said in a text message.

The suspects are facing cases for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. A separate complaint was filed against Israel for violating RA 10591, also known as the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition.

Forty-two other drug suspects were apprehended in Quezon City in separate law enforcement operations in the past two days.

Alleged dealer slain

Also in Quezon City, a suspected drug dealer identified only as “Barok” and an unnamed male companion were negotiating with a policeman posing as a drug buyer for a sachet of shabu in Barangay UP Village when the shootout occurred at around 2 a.m. yesterday.

An initial report from the city police’s criminal investigation and detection unit said Barok pulled out a handgun when he realized it was a sting.

Barok died at the scene during the shootout while his companion escaped.

Probers recovered a .38 caliber revolver beside him and a .22 caliber pistol at his waistband. Three bullet casings were also retrieved at the scene.

A sachet of shabu and P500 marked money were also recovered from Barok. Police have launched a manhunt for his companion.

P.8-M shabu seized

In Caloocan City, anti-drug operatives from the Northern Police District (NPD) arrested four alleged pushers and confiscated around P810,000 worth of shabu in a sting on Thursday.

Ronilo Saplad, Ferdinand Andrada, Gerardo del Mundo and Ilona Gail Cristobal were arrested in a house along Macabalo street in Barangay 37, according to NPD director Chief Superintendent Gregorio Lim.

They were arrested after they allegedly sold a sachet of shabu to Police Officer 1 Jerve Castro, Police Officer 3 Raymundo Nagar III and Police Officer 2 Edimar Jose Cui.

Police recovered from the suspects a plastic bag of suspected shabu weighing 80 grams, nine more sachets of shabu weighing 39 grams and 10 sachets of shabu weighing 119 grams.

In the eastern part of Metro Manila, police arrested eight persons for drug-related offenses in the past two days.  – With Marc Jayson Cayabyab