FAMILY BUSINESS? PDEA nabs couple for P800K worth of ‘shabu’

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – More or less 120 grams of suspected shabu worth P816,000 were seized from a couple in a drug raid at Barangay Bata here Tuesday morning.

Armed with a search warrant, agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) – Negros Occidental raided the house of Randy Hamantoc, 37, and his wife Duckin, 32, around 7:30 a.m.

PDEA team leader, who refused to be named, said both suspects are considered high value targets because they allegedly have in their possessions more than 50 grams of illegal drugs.

The team leader said they have been monitoring the couple for almost a month, following the arrest of Randy’s mother and brother, Rhodora and Mark Line Cuadra, respectively, in a drug raid in Talisay City, which resulted in the confiscation of P5.4 million worth of suspected shabu in July this year.

The couple allegedly distributed their supply in Barangay 2, which was earlier identified by authorities as a drug-infested village here.

However, PDEA refused to identify the source of the items, which they alleged to be outside of the province.

The team leader said that the Hamantoc family engaged in the illegal drug trade as their “family business,” because three members of the family were already arrested for the same charges.

He, however, refused to disclose if there are still remaining family members who are also into illegal drug trade.

The couple will be charged for illegal possession of dangerous drugs.