Over P47M worth of suspected shabu seized in Batangas ops; 4 arrested

Authorities seized more than P47 million worth of suspected shabu from four suspected drug personalities during a buy-bust operation in Sto. Tomas, Batangas on Wednesday.

Initial information from the Batangas Police Provincial Office on Thursday stated that combined operatives from the Batangas police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency conducted the operation in a parking lot beside a bank along Pan Pacific Highway past 11 a.m.

Four drug suspects were arrested in the operation. They were identified as Joey Liro Mordez, Lanze Ravenn Esquivel, John Paul Villanueva Muyco, and a minor.

Seven kilos of suspected shabu worth P47,600,000, a P500 bill, bundles of boodle money, and one Mitsubishi Mirage were seized from the suspects.

Police said the suspects would be facing charges for alleged violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Meanwhile, Batangas police chief Police Colonel Rex Arvin Malimban lauded the operatives who conducted the operation that resulted in the successful arrest of the four suspects.

"Drug prohibition promises a healthier community by denying individuals the opportunity to become drug suspects/pushers and or engage in the illegal drugs activity," Malimban said.

Malimban called on the public to immediately report to authorities any illegal activities in their communities. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News