BY EUGENE Y. ADIONG
BACOLOD City – Sachets of suspected shabu worth P7 million and concealed in sandals and shoes were seized by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents here.
The sachets were hidden in the soles of 20 pairs of shoes and sandals sent through LBC courier service, said Regional Director Paul Ledesma yesterday.
This is so far the “biggest drug haul” in Western Visayas, he disclosed.
A suspect has been arrested – 36-year-old Edgardo Justo alias Rey Roman of Brgy. Sta.Cruz, Murcia, Negros Occidental.
Justo was the consignee.
PDEA had been alerted of the shipment much earlier and managed to arrange a drug deal with the suspect, said Ledesma.
Justo was arrested in a buy-bust operation around 2 p.m. yesterday right after he picked up the shoes and sandals from the LBC branch located at Gaisano City on Araneta Street.
According to Ledesma, Justo had long been under surveillance.
Aside from the suspected shabu hidden in the shoes and sandals, PDEA agents JayR Espares and Jerry Anagape also seized from Justo two pieces of elongated, heat-sealed plastic sachets of shabu and the P500 marked money.
The suspect’s black Isuzu DMax with plate number XCU- 373 was also impounded.
Ledesma said each shoe or sandal contained about 50 grams of shabu wrapped in heat-sealed plastic sachets.
The sachets were in turn wrapped in carbon paper to dodge x-ray detection.
“At the current street price of P7,000 per gram in Bacolod City, the total haul was P7 million,” Ledesma said.
PDEA agents tried to extract information from Justo on who sent him the shoes and sandals and from where these came from.
Apparently, after the suspect picked up the package from LBC, he immediately removed the courier’s official plastic wrapper that contained the name and address of the sender.
By the time the suspect met the PDEA poseur buyers for a drug transaction, he had already thrown the LBC plastic wrapper away.
As of press time, Justo was under tactical interrogation by PDEA. He claimed he was only ordered to pick up the shoes and sandals and denied knowledge that these contained shabu.
He, however, refused to say who ordered him.
Ledesma said Justo would be charged with violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
This is the second time in Negros Occidental that PDEA intercepted shabu sent through LBC.
In April this year, PDEA seized over P3 million worth of suspected shabu in Cadiz City sent through LBC. Two suspects were arrested.
Iloilo City also had one such case in April. PDEA agents intercepted shabu worth P1.6 million sent from Cavite.
The shabu recovered was 276.7 grams or over one-fourth kilo and concealed inside a stereo speaker./PN
