An unemployed resident of barangay Marcelo Alberto in Virac was caught in a sting operation early Saturday morning by joint elements of the town police, Provincial Intelligence Unit (PIU) and Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU).
The buy-bust operation conducted against Robert Mendoza Borja, 54, single, in Danicop where he was arrested 10 minutes after midnight last April 27, 2024 after selling a sachet of shabu to a police officer masquerading as a drug user.
Also seized as evidence were a piece of folded paper, a genuine P500 bill, P500 boodle money, a lighter and the Honda XRM motorcycle he was using at the time.
The inventory was conducted at buy-bust site and in the presence of the suspect, as well as an elected barangay official and a representative from the Department of Justice (DOJ) as mandatory witnesses.
A criminal charge for the sale of dangerous drugs in violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against Borja.
Three days earlier, three persons in their teens were arrested in Antipolo del Sur, Virac after the barangay captain caught them in the act of smoking marijuana.
Punong Barangay Sixto Pantino came upon Gil, Nel and Ris (not their real names) smoking the dangerous drug and immediately called the Virac police station.
Responding police officers recovered from one of the boys a piece of rolled marijuana and a small tube containing remains of the drug, with the evidence submitted to the Provincial Forensic Unit at Camp Francisco Camacho for laboratory examination, which turned out to be positive for the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol.
The trio were placed in custody of the Virac police station and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165.