Drug pusher nabbed in Baguio road drama

BAGUIO CITY -- A notorious drug pusher, who previously evaded arrest by resorting to death-defying getaways, was subdued by drug law enforcement agents here last week after nearly killing lawmen out to nab him.

Ferdinand Lazaro y Aquino alias “Bong Singkit”, 42, married, college undergraduate and resident of 181 Marcos Highway here was trapped near the Tiongsan department store along Harrison Rd. around 11:30 before midnight on Sept. 4 by anti-drug operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and PDEA Task Group Alpha / North Luzon Area Unified Cluster.

Upon sensing it was an entrapment, Lazaro tried to escape on board his car by attempting to run over arresting officers.

One cop smashed the car’s right windshield with a motorcycle helmet he grabbed. Instead of halting, Lazaro accelerated even more, rearward, hitting some vehicles behind him.

The back of his car crashed onto a taxi, wreaking heavy damages to the cab’s front and injuring its driver.

During Lazaro’s first arrest on June 23, 2004 at Military Cut-off, also in Baguio by drug enforcers of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, he tried to escape by jumping from the apartment building.

He brke his leg and got a limp which is noticeable even now. Because of such handicap, he later carried out his illegal drug trade using his car, a Honda V-Tech, which modified mechanically for his handicap.

Enforcers said he usually dealt shabu without getting out of his car.

The first drug case against Lazaro, for sale of shabu, was dismissed by the First Judicial Region’s Regional Trial Court Branch 61, Baguio on Jan. 24, 2005.

During the latest buy-bust operation, Lazaro, sold a sachet of shabu to one of the drug enforcement officers who acted as buyer, without getting out of his car.

When he was taken into custody later by the authorities, he yielded two more sachets of the drug.

A total of 0.8 grams of shabu, estimated at about ten thousand pesos in the streets, was confiscated from him.

Aside from the drug cases, an additional case for reckless imprudence resulting to damage to property and less serious physical injuries shall be filed in court against Lazaro.

He was earlier included in the watch list of drug personalities in the Cordillera.