Violent juvenile with shabu resists arrest

BAGUIO CITY -- A juvenile, tagged as a pusher, who tried to evade arrest by violently resisting capture and assaulting apprehending officers, was arrested by narcotics agents with two sachets of shabu in a buy-bust operation here at Lower General Luna around 3:30 a.m. Thursday.

The juvenile was reportedly a cohort of one Rufino Merrera alias “Jackson” or “Jack,”primary subject of the sting operation carried out by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency – Cordillera Administrative Region near the latter’s house.

Merrera escaped with the buy-bust money through the aid of his mother who obstructed the anti-drug agents.

The teen-ager was identified as Edward Laurence Tuazon (not his real name), 17, of Kitma Village, Bakakeng Central, also in the city.

He and Merrera allegedly sold a total of about .32 gram of meth in heat-sealed, transparent, plastic sachets to a PDEA-CAR agent of PDEA.

The drugs were valued at P3,000. A case for illegal drugs will be filed in court against the juvenile and Merrera.

The former will be included in charges as the Baguio City Social Welfare and Development Office determined that he “acted with discernment in the commission of the crime and he can clearly distinguish what is right from a wrongdoing and the consequences of such actions.”

 According to a statement of assessment signed by Assistant City Social Welfare and Development Officer Edith M. Furigay, the teen-ager “garnered a high score in the tools of discernment which was administered to him.”