Notorious Drug Den Operator Fall In Baguio Sting

September 19, 2020 Headlines

BAGUIO CITY (September 18, 2020) – A notorious shabu den operator, who also supplies street pushers in retail, finally fell Thursday afternoon in a heart-pounding sting operation hatched by National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency agents at the heart of Baguio’s central business district.
Victor Alec Sales Leal, 41, was cornered at his family’s compound which he had converted into a drug den and drug retail store along Lower Magsaysay barangay here. Lawyer Noel Morales, executive officer of the NBI Cordillera who led the dragnet operation said, “a lady already wanting to abandon the illegal trade to start anew”, turned herself in and agreed to bust Leal, prompting “us” to hatch a sting operation against the notorious shabu dealer Thursday mid noon right from the compound cum drug den the lady pusher-turned government informant posed to “buy” 5 grams of shabu.
Though government agents only found at least .2 grams of shabu from Leal, which he sold to lady pusher-turned-government-agent, a glass tooter and several butane lighters. Leal though admitting he had become a drug dependent claimed he never sold shabu and belied his family’s compound served as a drug den, though government agents found at least two rooms they suspected as being used as shabu sniffing rooms.
Baguio assistant City Prosecutor Oliver Prudencio who joined the operation from the planning to the actual sting said, the government is suing Leal, who had tested positive for shabu use, for the sale of illegal drugs and for maintaining a drug den, both non-bailable drug offenses and for keeping numerous drug paraphernalia.
Leal accordingly has been under the close watch of government for sometime. Both NBI and PDEA thanked the lady pusher-turned-informant for helping government in cleansing the streets of the drug menace.
Artemio A.Dumlao/ABN