A buy-bust operation conducted by the Virac police last week against an unemployed man selling a gun resulted not only to the confiscation of the firearm but also the seizure of eight sachets of shabu.
The report to the Catanduanes Provincial Police Office stated that joint elements of the Virac MPS together with the Catanduanes Provincial Intelligence Unit, led by PCMS Louie Garcia, conducted the operation against Jaime Ferrer Valeza, 52, a resident of Purok 2, barangay Pajo San Isidro, last Oct. 19, 2022 that ended in his arrest at 8:25 PM.
With the transaction arranged through a confidential informant, an undercover police officer went to the agreed-upon meeting place at Purok 2, San Isidro Village, where members of the team pounced on Valeza as soon as he handed over the Cal. 22 revolved loaded with five bullets and received the P500 bill and another P2,000 in boodle money.
A search of the suspect’s body turned up a Doublemint canister that contained eight heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets with white crystalline granules of suspected shabu.
The team conducted the inventory of the confiscated evidence at the site and in the presence of mandatory witnesses, Concepcion barangay kagawad Leonard Rioja Jr. and Alma Zafe of the Provincial Prosecution Office.
The seized firearm and suspected drug items were brought to the Regional Forensic Unit 5 at Camp Simeon Ola in Legazpi City for laboratory and ballistic examination.
Cases for violation of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act) and RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) were prepared for filing through inquest before the Provincial Prosecution Office.