Chinese couple, 2 Pinoys nabbed for P12-M shabu

MANILA, Philippines - A Chinese couple and their two alleged Filipino cohorts were arrested in a buy-bust operation in Quezon City that resulted in the seizure of at least P12.6 million worth of shabu Thursday night. Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Superintendent Mario de la Vega identified the suspects as Ong Kieng Yok, alias Yang, and his lover Mao Yuaning, 49, and their companions Somagana Bocare, 26, and Manan Jalal, 33. De la Vega said the suspects were peddling the illegal drugs in bulk and even asked the arresting police officers to be “consignees” and sell the contraband in retail. Records showed that Mao arrived from Hubei, China as a tourist on Sept. 14. Senior Inspector Roberto Razon, head of the QCPD’s anti-illegal drugs special operations task group, said a disgruntled Chinese cohort of the couple informed them of the suspects’ illegal drug trade. According to De la Vega, the Chinese informant, who was fluent in Filipino, approached them on Sept. 19. Undercover policemen managed to close a drug deal with the suspects for a kilo of shabu. Police officers then set up a drug sting in front of a hotel along Banawe Road and arrested the suspects shortly after they accepted the P650,000 marked money from the poseur buyers. When apprehended, the suspects yielded approximately another kilo of shabu. - By Reinir Padua