PDEA recovers cocaine brick in buy-bust operation in Tacloban

Tacloban City (August 17) — Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 8 Director Julius R. Navales expressed concern as he informed that one cocaine brick was recovered in a buy bust operation held on Sunday, at a well-known eatery along Justice Romualdez St., Tacloban City.

In a talk with the Philippine Information Agency, Director Navales who personally headed the buy bust operation said that a PDEA asset tipped that someone was looking for a buyer of cocaine brick.

The buy bust operation resulted to the arrest of a certain Darwin Carnalan, 23 years old, a resident of Barangay 82, Marasbaras, Tacloban City, and Randy Doblon, 34 years old from Guiuan, Eastern Samar and temporarily residing at Marasbaras, Tacloban City.

Darwin Carnalan was caught while giving one brick of cocaine to a PDEA agent who posed as a buyer, Director Novales said.

“Ano ini,” Darwin said as he was accosted at 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon.

“Huli ini,” Director Novales answered Darwin, who confessed that he was just requested to deliver the package to the buyer by a certain Randy Doblon.

At around 5:30 in the afternoon, a follow up operation at Villa Dolina, resulted to the apprehension of Randy Doblon, Director Novales said.

The two suspects are now detained at the Tacloban City lock up cell, Director Novales said.

Cases of violation of Section 5 in relation to Article 26 of Republic Act 9165 have been filed against them at the Tacloban City Prosecutor’s Office since they were arrested in Tacloban City, Director Novales added.

Meanwhile, the cocaine brick is now at the PNP Crime Laboratory for quantitative analysis and for a test to confirm its purity, and its being indeed, a cocaine brick.

Two-tons of cocaine cargo was allegedly dumped off the waters of Samar last December from a foreign vessel, the F/V King Yue 1, that was bound for Hongkong.

The foreign vessel was being tailed by international narcotics unit and fearing that it might get caught with the cocaine cargo upon learning that they were being followed, the crew of the ship was believed to have dumped the cocaine off the waters of Samar. (PIA