3 Chinese, 2 Pinoys nabbed in P15M shabu buy-bust

MANILA — The Quezon City police seized P15 million worth of illegal drugs and arrested three Chinese and two Filipinos in a buy-bust operation near Luneta Park in Manila early Tuesday.

The Chinese nationals were identified as  Dixon Kee Yu, 35; Qian “Joey” Li, 39; and Simon Tan, 53, while the Filipinos were Husni Balenti, 30, and Amir Cana, 27.

The joint operation of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) District Anti-Illegal Drugs and Special Operations Task Group (DAIDSOTG) and the District Special Operations Unit (DSOU) was carried out after weeks of surveillance.

Chief Insp. Enrico Figueroa, chief of DAIDSOTG, said an undercover policeman arranged to buy one kilo of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) for P1 million from the suspects at 7 p.m. in a fast-food joint along Quezon Avenue.

Upon showing the drugs, however, the suspects opted to continue the deal at 6:30 a.m. in a parking lot behind Quirino Grandstand, which led to their arrest.

Police confiscated three kilos of shabu with a street value of P15 million, a Toyota Fortuner bearing only a conduction sticker, a Mitsubishi Montero with Plate No. AQA 3092, a tablet and three cell phones which will be subject to forensic investigation.

Figueroa said Tuesday’s arrest was an offshoot of previous drug busts such as in Pasay City, in December with 10 kilos of shabu and in Quezon City in November with three kilos of the illegal drugs.  SFM