ILOILO CITY, Dec. 10 (PNA) — A drug personality tagged to be a leader of a fraternity group in this city finally fell into the hands of narcotics agents following a drug bust operation conducted in Jaro, Iloilo City yesterday, December 9.
Regional Director Paul Ledesma of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6 (PDEA-6) based here said the successful anti-illegal drug operation which led to the arrest of the suspect Michael Douglas Evidente, 39, of Phase IV, Alta Tierra Village in Barangay Balabago, Jaro district as drug den where an estimated P600,000 worth of suspected “shabu” has been recovered.
Ledesma said that apart from Evidente who is considered a high-value target of PDEA, five other personalities alleged to be members of a fraternity group Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity-Iloilo chapter reportedly headed by Michael Douglas Evidente as the supreme leader, were also ordered arrested for their presence inside the subject house during the sting operation.
These personalities include Evidente’s younger brother Jose Maria Gabriel Evidente Jr., 32 years old, along with the family’s boarder Iven Perez, 26, of Capiz; Perez friend Joy Barbieto, 25; Max Cartera and Sarging Otajero.
The raiding narcotics operatives also recovered from Evidente’s residence some 100 grams of suspected shabu estimated to have a market value of P600,000, a weighing scale, drug paraphernalia and P1,000 marked money used during the test-buy operation.
Ledesma said that Michael, a son of retired police officer Inspector Gabriel Evidente, declined to give any statement when asked if he was indeed into illicit drug trade.
But according to the PDEA-6 director, they received intelligence information that Evidente gets his supply of illegal drugs from a source in Manila and Cebu which is being transported via roll on, roll off (Ro-Ro) vessel bound for Iloilo before these highly prohibited stuff could reach the hands of the suspect for repacking in the said subject house that doubly serves as a drug den and a frat house.
The PDEA said these repacked stuff later found market in several drug outlets in Iloilo, Antique, Roxas City, and island resort of Boracay and across Negros Occidental.
Meanwhile, the PDEA-6 is readying anti-illegal drug charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002, against Evidente and five other suspected drug personalities. (PNA)