A 60-YEAR-OLD store owner who allegedly sells illegal drugs as his sideline was collared by Eastern Police District-District Drug Enforcement Unit (EDP-DDEU) operatives following a buy-bust in Pasig City on Tuesday.
A report submitted to EPD director Brig, Gen. Matthew Baccay by DDEU chief Major Darwin Guerrero identified the suspect as Lito Ibañez, 61, single and resident of 5394 Ilugin, Phase 2, Lot 5,Bgy. Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City.
Guerrero said Ibañez ‘s arrest was made after being placed under surveillance for weeks following reports that he was selling illegal drugs and using his store as front for his illegal activities.
An undercover cop arranged a transaction with the suspect in front of his store in Bgy. Pinagbuhatan at around 2:30 p.m.
The suspect was arrested after handing a plastic sachet of illegal drugs to a poseur buyer in exchange for P300.
Police recovered an additional five grams of suspected shabu worth P34,000 from the suspect.
Guerrero said the senior citizen suspect was renting the house and put up a sari-sari store inside a year ago.
Discovered beside the sari-sari store was a small cubicle where shabu sessions were allegedly held and shabu was sold.
The cubicle was being used as drug den, entertaining buyers and users of the prohibited drugs on a 24-hour basis, the police official said.
“Dun sya mismo nagbebenta ng shabu sa sari-sari store nya sa tabi ng kanyang tindahan may cubicle kung saan pinauupahan nya para dun na mismo bumabatak ang mga customer,” said Guerrero.
However, the DDEU team failed to arrest suspected drug users during the operation.
The set-up of the place is like a one-stop shop, police added.
Charges of violation for RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are being readied against the suspect who is now detained at the Pasig City Police custodial facility.
