Part of the parking lot of a Virac mall became a crime scene last Friday evening when a barangay councilor from Pandan tried to sell a sachet of shabu to an undercover police officer during a buy-bust operation.
Incumbent Sangguniang Barangay member Richard dela Peña Lopez, 53, a resident of Canlubi, Pandan, was arrested by a police team immediately after handing over the dangerous drug to the poseur buyer at 10:54 AM of Oct. 4, 2024 at the parking area of the Virac Town Center.
Joint elements of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU) as the lead unit, Virac police station, Catanduanes Police Intelligence Unit (CATPIU), and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), confiscated from the suspect’s possession the sachet containing white crystalline substance believed to be shabu, two more sachets of the same dangerous drug in his possession, a folder white paper container, a cellphone, one real P1,000 bill and several replicas used as buy-bust money, and a white Toyota Hi-Ace (EAB8937) used by the suspect.
Following the inventory of the evidence at the mall parking area in the presence of the suspect and mandatory witnesses, the police are now preparing the filing of charges against the village official for violation of Sec. 5 and Sec. 6 of Republic Act 9165 for the sale and possession of dangerous drugs, respectively.
Virac police chief PMaj. Emsol Icawat said the authorities are relentlessly conducting operations against illegal drugs not only to enable the municipality to attain drug-free status but also to ensure the safety and security of its constituents.