Theft incident paves way for drug bust

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte — A theft incident reported on the afternoon of 6 September in Barangay 7-B, Laoag City, quickly escalated into a major arrest involving violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (RA 9165).

At approximately 3:30 p.m., a 42-year-old female caretaker of Queens Laundry, residing in Laoag City and originally from Bangui, Ilocos Norte, reported to the Laoag City Police Station that her personal money amounting to P8,000 along with a pink wallet containing roughly P300 and a black wallet with around P1,100, had gone missing. The items were placed in a red pouch and discovered missing that afternoon.

Police investigators conducted a follow-up investigation. They reviewed CCTV footage from cameras installed near the laundry shop, leading to the identification of two suspects.

At 4 p.m. the same day, police tracked one of the suspects using the GPS of a stolen cellphone belonging to another victim, a 43-year-old male from San Pedro, Laguna. The police and victims followed the GPS signal to Bricks Inn in Barangay 2, Laoag City, where they confronted two individuals: a 20-year-old male from Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte and a minor. The suspects were preparing to leave when one of the victims positively identified the male suspect as the individual seen entering Queens Laundry.

As police officers and witnesses approached the suspects, the 20-year-old attempted to discard cellphones and pouches, which were later identified by the victims as the stolen items.

Recovered from the suspects’ possession are the 0.8 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated value of P5,440 contained in a transparent heat-sealed plastic sachet, 1 green pouch, 1 pink wallet containing P293 (stolen item), 1 black Samsung cellphone (stolen item), 1 black wallet containing P1,100 (stolen item), 1 Techno Pova cellphone (stolen item), 1 Vivo cellphone (stolen item) and their personal effects.

Both suspects, along with the confiscated items, were brought to the Laoag City Police Station for documentation and the filing of appropriate charges, including theft and possession of illegal drugs.