By Joey Pavia / Correspondent
PORAC, Pampanga—This first-class town, host to the P75-billion Alviera township project being developed by Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) in a 1,100-hectare area, is renewing its campaign against illegal drugs.
Mayor Condralito de La Cruz and Vice Mayor Dexter David ordered a more aggressive campaign against illegal drugs, resulting in the arrest of five alleged drugs pushers during separate police operations here last week.
Supt. Niel Miro, Porac police chief, said the suspects are all based in the town, except one—a Pasig City-based notorious drug pusher—who was arrested during a buy-bust operation on May 29. Miro identified the alleged Pasig-based drug trafficker as Leonardo L. Lopez, 53, of Vioper Malinao, Pasig Ciy.
“Lopez operates in Pasig and nearby areas in Metro Manila. He partnered with a local resident and they tried to sell drugs in Porac but were immediately neutralized,” Miro said.
Miro said Lopez and his cohort—machine operator Archie G. Canlas, 51, of Model Community, Pio, Porac—were allegedly caught in the act of selling one sachet of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride.
The team, led by the deputy police chief, Senior Insp. Reynaldo Manganti Jr., also allegedly confiscated five sachets of shabu and P500 marked money from Lopez. Canlas was allegedly arrested with three sachets during the operation in Barangay Pulung Santol, here.
Both Canlas and Lopez denied selling shabu to a poseur buyer who gave them the marked bill.
On May 31, the same team led by Manganti arrested three suspects during a buy-bust operation in Poblacion here. The police identified the suspects as Carlo A. Hain, 43, of Poblacion, Jerry H. Lapid, 42, of Cangatba, Porac and Carlos Joseph Perez, 25, also of Poblacion.