Identical twin brothers identified as 'owners' of drug den, nabbed

Operatives of Station Drug Enforcement Unit of the Quezon City Police District Station 4 raided on Tuesday night a house in Barangay San Bartolome Quezon City that was allegedly used as a drug den for more than a decade.

Authorities were led to the house owned by identical twin brothers Rolando and Gilbert Sorio after receiving a tip from their neighbor about a supplier of drugs.

The raiding team headed by Police Master Sergeant Mark Anthony Lagman organized a buy-bust operation that led to the arrest of 37-year-old Jeffrey Siobal alias "Etong" after transacting P200 worth of shabu with a police decoy.

The arrest was made shortly after Siobal's cohort, known only as a certain "Nel," handed the sachet of shabu to the arresting officer and an asset.

Also arrested inside the house were 37-year-old Ronnel Buen, the second target of the buy-bust sting along with his 26-year-old live-in partner Christina Lavarez.

Forty-four-year-old Rolando Sorio, the house owner, was also nabbed during the operation.

Aside from the buy bust money and some drug paraphernalia, 5 sachets of suspected shabu with street value of P10,000 were recovered inside the house.

During the operation, Sorio's twin brother Gilbert arrived and was then questioned by the police about the buy-bust.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Rossel Cejas, Commander of the Novaliches Police, said that maximum tolerance was implemented but due to Sorio's inadequate actions, he was also arrested for obstruction of justice.

"Alam naman natin ang nararamdaman nila.' Siyempre ayaw nilang paaresto ang kanilang kamag-anak. Pero pag na-violate nila ang batas, obstruction of justice yan kaya huhulihin natin sila," Cejas said.

Police Captain Dennis Francisco, Chief of SDEU and Intelligence Branch of the Novaliches Police Station, revealed that Sorio's house was raided three times in the past and that these operations were related to illegal drugs, robbery and carnapping cases.

In 2007, police operatives from the same station targeted the twin brothers for robbery and carnapping cases. They were released.

The SDEU operatives conducted buy bust stings againts Siobal, Buen, and Lavarez in 2014 and 2017 respectively.

"Sina alyas "Etong", "Nel" at ang live in partner niya diyan tumatarima. Diyan nagbabagsak si "Etong" sa bahay na rin na yan inaabutan sina "Nel" at "Tin". Yung bahay considered as drug den. Diyan sa bahay na yan talamak kasi yung pagbebenta at paggamit ng ilegal na droga," Francisco said.

The four suspects will face charges for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Act of 2002.

Gilbert Sorio, on the other hand, will be facing the charge of obstruction of justice. — BAP, GMA News