P7-M CATCH

Cocaine seized in Miag-ao

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-6) scored their biggest haul this year after seizing almost a kilo of suspected cocaine in Miag-ao, Iloilo Tuesday.

The 800-gram cocaine, believed to be 97% pure, was recovered from suspect Carlito Buen, 48, of Crossing Valencia, Brgy. Maninila after a buy-bust operation.

PDEA-6 head Paul Ledesma said a poseur-buyer initially bought P1,000 worth of illegal drugs from Buen. The buyer then offered to buy more cocaine from the suspect for P43,000. Buen then showed a brick of the suspected illegal drug prompting PDEA operatives to arrest him.

Ledesma said the recovered cocaine could be part of the Samar cocaine stashed away by a Hong Kong bound Chinese fishing vessel near the Eastern Visayas island last year.

“The packing of the cocaine is similar to those recovered by narcotics agents in Samar,” he said.

Sensing that they were already under the surveillance by International Drug Enforcement Agencies, the Chinese fishing vessel, which came from South America, dumped its hot cargo of 1.5 tons of cocaine within the sea waters of Northern and Eastern Samar.

Ledesma said the cocaine recovered from Buen could be worth more or less P7 million.

Based on the information supplied by PDEA, Buen sells fighting cocks in Luzon. Authorities believe he may have secured the cocaine in Luzon and brought it to Iloilo via the roll on-roll off system.

Ledesma said they gathered information on Buen’s operation through the Miag-ao and Guimbal police forces.

Buen is currently in the custody of PDEA pending the filing of charges against him.