Republic of the Office of the President PHILIPPINE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY NIA Northside Road, NationalGovernmentCenter Pinyahan, Quezon City

PRESS RELEASE # 088/14

DATE : February 22, 2014 AUTHORITY : UNDERSECRETARY ARTURO G. CACDAC, JR., CEO VI Director General For more information, comments and suggestions please call: Director DERRICK ARNOLD C. CARREON, Director, Public Information Office Tel. No. 929-3244, 927-9702 Loc.131; Cell phone: 09159111585 ______

NO. 9 TARGET-LISTED PUSHER IN ARRESTED The No. 9 target-listed drug pusher in Zamboanga del Sur was arrested by operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) during a buy-bust operation on February 19, 2014.

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Arturo G. Cacdac, Jr. identified the suspect as Edgar Sayson y Catugal, 40 years old, married, listed as Number 9 PDEA Regional Office 9 Target List and a resident of Barangay Lumbia, Tabina, Zamboanga del Sur.

At around 5:30 a.m., Sayson agreed to sell and handed over to a PDEA undercover agent one piece of plastic sachet of suspected shabu in exchange for the P500 peso marked money in Barangay Lumbia, Tabina, Zamboanga del Sur. Upon a pre-arranged signal, joint elements of PDEA Regional Office 9 (PDEA RO9) under Director Jeffrey A. Bangsa, Tabina Municipal Police Station and Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (PAIDSOTF) immediately swooped down on Sayson.

Confiscated from Sayson’s possession were one piece of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing white crystalline substance of suspected shabu, two pieces of cigarette foils, one plastic container and two folded aluminum foils. Seized pieces of drug evidence were brought to Camp Abelon PNP Crime laboratory in City for forensic examination.

Cases for violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 12 (Possession of Equipment and Other Dangerous Drug Paraphernalia), Article II of Republic Act 9165, or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are now being prepared for filing in court against Sayson.

Meanwhile, on February 9, 2014, joint elements of PDEA RO9 Provincial Office and Katipunan Municipal Police Station conducted a buy- bust operation at the vicinity of New Tambo, Katipunan, Zamboanga del Norte which resulted to the arrest of Joe Whenter Lugo y Sazon, alias Joe, 40, married, a resident of the same address, while his cousin, Nerlito Lugo Daimiel, alias Pet-pet, eluded arrest.

Confiscated from the suspect were three pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, various drug paraphernalia, cash in various denominations amounting P1,640 and one P500 bill used as marked money.

Lugo is temporarily detained at the Katipunan Municipal Police Station detention cell, while the seized pieces of drug evidence were brought to the City PNP Crime laboratory for laboratory examination.

Cases for violation of Sections 5, 11 and 12, of Article II of RA 9165 are now being filed in court against Lugo.

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