ALBUERA, Leyte-The Police Drug Enforcement Group and the Station Drug Enforcement Team of the local police here arrested a former drug prisoner in a buy-bust operation on Thursday (Sept.14), this town.
Arrested was Richard Dela Cruz,38, jobless and a resident of sitio Soob of Barangay Poblacion, where the sting operation took place at about 12:55 am.
De La Cruz was recently released from prison due to drug related charge.
Town police officer, Lt. Col. Criselda L. Bongtiwon, described the suspect as a high value individual (HVI) and is included in the top 10 drug list in the region.
Recovered from the possession of the suspect was one sachet containing white crystalline substances suspected procured by an operative in the amount of P500.
Further body search to the suspect yielded five sachets of shabu weighing 50 grams and with a street value of P340,000.
The suspect, in an interview, admitted that he returned back into selling illegal drugs due to financial problems.
He said that he was arrested during a buy bust operation in 2013 and was released from incarceration after the Court of Appeals dismissed his charges in 2021.
Charges of violation of section 5 (selling illegal drugs) and section 11 (possession of illegal drugs) of Article II of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal was filed against the suspect who is now detained at the at the Albuera municipal police station. (ROBER DEJON)
