Authorities arrested a former University of the Philippines or UP Fighting Maroons player and four others at a Parañaque anti-illegal drugs operations, Tuesday morning.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents seized high-grade marijuana as well as a sachet of alleged cocaine from the suspects.
PDEA identified the suspects as former UP Fighting Maroons basketball player Kevin Astorga; Agustin Montejo; Jericho Tumagan; Karen Salvahan, and Miguel Mojares.
Members of the Southern Police District, Parañaque police, and PDEA National Capital Region joined forces to launch the buy-bust in Barangay BF Homes at midnight.
PDEA agents seized an estimated 150 grams of kush or high-grade marijuana, a small transparent sachet of suspected cocaine, various drug paraphernalia, and cellphones during the operation.
The amount of confiscated illegal drugs is still “undetermined,” PDEA said.
The five suspects are now under the custody of PDEA to prepare drug complaints filed against them.
The former UP Fighting Maroons player Kevin Astorga also led the RP-Burlington Youth Team for the Southeast Asia Basketball Association Junior Championship in 2004.
Also read: 129 children killed in Philippines’ four-year war on drugs- report
Drug suspect shot dead in Nueva Ecija
A drug suspect targeted by a buy-bust operation by the authorities died on the spot at 1 am, Tuesday.
He was identified as alias Kano, a notorious pusher who pretended to be a police officer, according to the San Jose City police.
According to police, the suspect met with a poseur buyer in the dark part of Barangay Camanacsacan, San Jose, Nueva Ecija.
He was riding a motorcycle with an unknown man.
Kano allegedly agreed to sell illegal drugs to the poseur buyer, but when he sensed that he was transacting with a police officer, he reportedly pulled out a gun.
The operation ended in an encounter in which alias Kano was killed and sustained a bullet wound to the body.
Sixteen bags of suspected shabu and five packages of suspected marijuana were found in alias Kano’s bag.
His .38 caliber gun was also recovered.
There are IDs found in his bag, and they will be investigated to see if they are real and his.
Police are still looking for the man with Kano who fled on a motorcycle.