BAGUIO CITY July 26 – Six people, including a member of a notorious drug group in the city, were successfully arrested by anti-narcotics agents of the Cordillera office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-CAR) during the dismantling of an alleged drug den in barangay Dominican here Saturday.
Juvenal Azurin, newly-installed PDEA-CAR regional director, identified the drug personality as Howard Bugarin Lee, 40, married, taxi driver and a member of a drug group operating in Baguio and Benguet who was arrested at his residence doubling as a drug den when PDEA operatives, armed with a valid search warrant, found dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia during the search.
Azurin said members of the search team recovered during the operation were three heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu weighing 13.8421 grams, marijuana resin weighing 31.0079 grams, several drug paraphernalia, three weighing scales, and 30 pieces of live ammunition of caliber 9mm.
Aside from Lee, other drug personalities arrested inside the alleged drug den were Zaldy Veniegas Del Rio, 44, salesman, a native of Burgos, La Union and presently residing at Dominican-Mirador, Baguio City; Jay-Ar Pilaes Bautista, 26, single, a cellphone technician, native of Dasmariñas, Cavite and residing at Dominican-Mirador, Baguio City; Al Malupa Bartolome, 33, married, presently residing at Tuding, Itogon, Benguet; Saldy Garcia Fernandez, 29, single, driver, and residing at Dominican-Mirador, Baguio City; and a 21-year old female residing at Alapang, La Trinidad, Benguet.
The arrested drug personalities were temporarily detained at the PDEA-CAR Regional Office pending the filing of the appropriate cases against them.
The dismantling of the drug den is one of the marching orders of PDEA-CAR Regional Director Azurin during his assumption of office. He, likewise, asserted PDEA’s no nonsense campaign against high value targets within the region.
Azurin commended the members of the search team who were able to implement their assigned tasks perfectly that resulted to the arrest of the drug personalities and the subsequent filing of the appropriate charges against them, saying that the agency will continue it all-out campaign to rid the community of the proliferation of drugs which is considered a social menace that tends to significantly affect the behavior of people and their relationship with the other members of the community where they belong.