Australian arrested as police raid Mabalacat City drug den

Mabalacat City
George Georgeff, aged 38, is now being held at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s detention centre in San Fernando City as charges against him are prepared.

A 38-year-old Australian is facing prison after being among seven people arrested during a drug bust in Mabalacat City, Pampanga province.

George Georgeff was allegedly found in the company of six known “drug personalities” taking shabu, or crystal meth, yesterday (Thursday, July 11).

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The buy-bust raid was conducted by joint operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Central Luzon and the Philippine Air Force at South Daang Bakal last night.

PDEA-Central Luzon Regional Director Gil Pabilona identified the other arrested suspects as Roque Rosielda, aged 50; Arnold Padilla, 25; Emmanuel Gaddi, 39; Roland Geraldo, 29; Norman Rivera, 18; and Raddy Tabuso, 46. They are all residents of Mabalacat City. 

Director Pabilona said the drug den was allegedly maintained by Rosielda and that Georgeff had gone there to buy narcotics.

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He added: “Rosielda and his cohorts are known to be notorious in drug peddling in the said community. As to the Australian national, he will be charged for violation of section seven (visitor of den, dive, resort) of RA 9165, and possible section 15 (use of dangerous drugs) while awaiting for his drug test results.”

The raid also yielded 11 heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing 20 grams of shabu with an estimated street value of 136,000 pesos. Also seized were various drug paraphernalia and the marked drug bust money.

According to a report in The Inquirer, the suspects are now being held at the PDEA’s detention facility in the city of San Fernando. 

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Violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Acts of 2002 are now being readied for filing in court against them.

Georgeff isn’t the first Australian to be arrested in Pampanga province for using shabu. In March, for example, we reported how Mark Philip Williams, 53, and Anthony Philip Stein, 56, were arrested in Angeles City for allegedly smoking the drug with a group of Filipinos.

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