‘Drug dealers’ nabbed in police operations

BAGUIO CITY – Two top illegal drug dealers were nabbed here last week, one, an alleged notorious pusher of shabu, listed top 6 who was rearrested May 5, after having been apprehended and jailed five times since 1998, all for drug law violations.

The suspect was identified as Tracy Lac-amen y Norte alias “Bidong,” 43, single, elementary school graduate, driver, native and resident of Itogon, Benguet.

Police nabbed Lac-amen at Barangay New Lucban selling a sachet of shabu to an agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the region who acted as buyer during a buy-bust operation carried out by the regional PDEA.

Participants in the arrest were Special Operations Unit of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group of the Police Regional Office – Cordillera.

When frisked by arresting officers, Lac-amen yielded three more sachets of the illegal drug.
A case for illegal drugs was filed against Lac-amen at the city prosecutor’s office.

Lac-amen was first arrested with one Ronald Estipular also for illegal drugs by Itogon Mtown police with 2.21 grams of shabu.

On Jan.17, 2001 , Lac-amen was again apprehended for drug-related violation, this time in Baguio City .

A little over a year and a month later, on Feb. 12, 2002 , Lac-amen was nabbed once more for another drug violation.

Also in August 14, 2002, Lac-amen was arrested in Baguio for another drug-related offense.
The following year, on May 6, 2003, Lac-amen was arrested with a certain Billy Eustaquio, by operatives of the Drug Enforcement Unit of Baguio police.

Meanwhile, one April 28, PDEA and police agents searched the residence of Paul Black y Atos at No. 169 Orange Alley, Upper QM.

The search warrant, which had brought about the confiscation of numerous drug paraphernalia from the afore-said residence, was implemented by Danilo Patacsil, a barangay official of Lower QM, Baguio City ; Philip Erpelo, a reporter from ABS-CBN – Baguio and Prosecutor Evelyn C. Tagudar of Baguio City.

Black, 48, married, 2nd Year college, self-employed and native of Metro Manila, was chanced upon and consequently arrested during the anti-drug operation.

Black was earlier arrested on June 16, 2000 with one former PO3 Anthony Costales, who had a standing warrant of arrest.

Costales was a former member of Tuba police and was then about to take his oath as a lateral entrant Police Inspector.

More than a year after Black’s initial arrest, during the implementation of a search warrant by aTask Force Jerico of the Department of the Interior and Local Government on October 2, 2001 for illegal drugs.

Also on August 5, 2005 , Black was nabbed with 20 grams of shabu at Happy Homes, Baguio City by PDEA personnel.