Fifty-two grams of shabu with a street value of P480,000 were seized last week from a grandson of a former Virac mayor in a buy-bust operation led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Paul Deni “PD” Arcilla Balmadrid, 41, an unemployed resident of barangay Lanao, was arrested at 2:19 PM of Aug. 14, 2024 by joint elements of PDEA Catanduanes Provincial Office headed by IO II Edward Kenn S. Ampongan, the Virac Municipal Police Station led by PMaj. Emsol Icawat, the Catanduanes Provincial Intelligence Unit (CATPIU) headed by PLt. Col. Josefino Titong, Jr. and the Police Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) Catanduanes led by PCpl. Jimmy Tomanglao.
Considered as a High-Value Target, Balmadrid will be charged for violation of Sec. 5 and 11 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. He is reportedly the grandson of the late Virac chief executive Jorge S. Arcilla.
Operatives handcuffed the suspect after he handed over a small plastic sachet containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu to an undercover police officer who acted as buyer.
Aside from the sachet that was the subject of sake, the operating team also found a big sachet of suspected shabu that was inside a black coin purse presumably thrown to the ground by the suspect.
A report from PDEA said the small sachet contained approximately two (2) grams of shabu worth P5,000 while the larger sachet had about 50 grams of shabu valued at P400,000.
Also recovered as evidence were the genuine P500 bill and nine xeroxed P500 bill that were found on the ground after his arrest and a Samsung smartphone in his left front pocket.
The inventory of the evidence was conducted at the family residence in the compound in front of the Juan M. Alberto Memorial Elementary School (JMAMES) in the presence of the suspect and mandatory witnesses Sta. Cruz barangay kagawad Froilan Mendoza and Provincial Prosecution Office representative Larry Arcilla.
Last Aug. 16, the twin cases were filed against the above-named suspect through inquest proceeding, docketed under NPS No. V-II-INQ-24H-00044 and NPS No. V-II-INQ-24H-00045 at the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor, subscribed by Atty. Percieval C. Villamartin.
The respondent was assisted by private counsel Atty. Michael Eric Onquit after he opted to avail of preliminary investigation under Article 125 of RPC and remain under the custody of said MPS, pending issuance of resolution.
Laboratory conducted by PDEA Regional Office 5 of the submitted drug evidence under Chemistry Report No. PDEA-RO5-24-0125, yielded positive result for the presence of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu with a total weight of 1.1172 grams with estimated street value of ₱7,596.96.
A law enforcement officer told the Tribune that Balmadrid has been addicted to dangerous drugs since he was just 20 years old, a fact known to his parents at the time, before he decided to enter the illegal trade.
He said that in “leveling up” in illicit the business, he sold shabu at P5,000 per big sachet, compared to the usual P500 charged by other suppliers for small sachets.
Another pusher related to another prominent family has allegedly taken over as supplier of shabu in the same area, it is claimed.
The accomplishment of PDEA and the supporting police units came as the PNP chief, PGen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, announced a recalibrated approach that prioritizes targeting the sources and supply chains of illegal drugs rather than focusing on street-level pushers and users.
This approach is designed to be more effective and less bloody campaign by putting premium on human rights and addressing the drug problem at its very core, he said.
“Our previous strategies concentrated too much on cutting off the heads, but we need to target the body— the entire supply chain and the sources driving the drug trade,” he said.
The recalibrated strategy will involve intensified intelligence operations and stronger community engagement to identify and dismantle drug trafficking networks.
“We are now focusing on high-value drug personalities and the movements of illegal drugs across the country. These are the real targets—those who orchestrate the trade and profit from it, not the street-level pushers and users, who are often victims of circumstance,” Gen. Marbil explained as he underscored the importance of minimizing violence in this new approach.
“We aim to address the drug problem without resorting to bloodshed. By focusing on the real culprits and protecting the victims, we can make our communities safer while respecting human rights,” he affirmed.