ORMOC CITY-A newly identified drug peddler was apprehended during a buy-bust operation conducted by the Station Drug Enforcement Team of the local police of Bato, Leyte, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Feb.14 in Barangay Iniguihan, Bato town.
Police Captain John Rey Layog, town police chief, identified the suspect as Ricky Satentes, also known as Estoy, 38, married, and a laborer residing in Brgy. Iniguihan.
He is listed as a street-level individual in the drug watch list of both the PNP and PDEA.
Recovered from the suspect’s possession during the 4:55 pm operation was one sachet containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, which was purchased by an operative for P500.
During a subsequent body search conducted in the presence of an elected barangay official and a representative from the local media, four more sachets containing similar substances were discovered.
Charges for violations of sections 5 and 11 of Article II of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs of 2002, were filed against the suspect by the arresting authorities. (ROBERT DEJON)
