ILOILO City – A former asset of the National Bureau of Investigation Region 6 (NBI-6) and his accomplice were arrested in a drug buy-bust operation in Barangay Luna, La Paz district.
Police identified them as former NBI-6 informant Rustan Castañeda, 36, resident of Barangay Cabanbanan, Oton, Iloilo and Dixie Deñosa, 27, of Barangay San Isidro, Jaro district.
Castañeda and Deñosa were nabbed after they sold suspected shabu to an undercover officer of the Police Regional Office 6‘s Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) for P5,000 around 2:05 p.m. on Sept. 14.
Recovered for their possession were nine sachets of suspected shabu, a .380-caliber revolver with seven live bullets, an NBI badge, and a plastic canister.
RDEU chief Lieutenant Jersey Besas said prior to the operation, the suspects were under surveillance for several days and Castañeda was the primary target of the operation.
However, Castañeda denied owning the suspected illegal drugs, saying Deñosa told him to receive the pouch from a drug supplier that was only identified as a certain “John.”
Castañeda said he was surprised when police officers arrested him.
“Dixie told me to get the pouch from John and when I received it, the police arrested me. I think they were mistaken because the police were supposed to arrest John and not me. I’m not engaged in illegal drugs,” said Castañeda.
“I was supposed to report John to the police for his illegal activity but they arrested me and let John go,” he added.
Castañeda admitted he owned the firearm but failed to present his licence.
Deñosa, meanwhile, revealed the supplier and source of suspected shabu came from Manila but she denied her involvement in the illegal drug trade./PN
