Cop caught in drug sting

MANILA, Philippines — A police officer was arrested in a drug sting in Parañaque yesterday that yielded methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth P136,000.

Cpl. McNeil Bagunu, 31, was apprehended by anti-narcotics police officers along a street in Barangay B.F. Homes at around 2:30 a.m., National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a message on Viber.

Nartatez said Bagunu, who is assigned with the National Police Training Institute, met with police negotiating as drug buyers for the sale of shabu.

Around 20 grams of shabu packed in four plastic sachets and a .45 caliber handgun were seized from Bagunu.

The policeman is being held on charges of drug trafficking and violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition.

Meanwhile, police confiscated 200 grams of shabu valued at P1.36 million from a high-value suspect in Quezon City on Saturday afternoon.

Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, Quezon City Police District director, said Jimmy Calvar, 29, was apprehended in Barangay Batasan Hills at around 2:35 p.m. after he allegedly sold shabu to an undercover police officer for P8,000.

Apart from shabu, police also seized Calvar’s cell phone, which could provide leads on his other illicit transactions, Maranan said.

He added that Calvar’s arrest was based on a tip from a confidential informant about his alleged drug peddling activities.

In Taguig, police arrested a tricycle driver in a drug bust.

The Southern Police District said the suspect, identified only as Danilo, was caught in Barangay Ususan on Saturday. Police seized 16.5 grams of shabu with a street value of P112,000 from the suspect.

Danilo is under the custody of the Taguig police pending the filing of charges against him.