ILIGAN CITY —– The Philippine Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEA) arrested Friday evening, June 5, a former Army Engineer for allegedly selling methamphetamine (meth) or shabu in a drug buy-bust operation inside a pension house in Barangay San Miguel, here.
PDEA’s Investigating Agent Neil Pabilona identified the target of the operation as Mcrome Lozada, who introduced himself as ‘active member of the Philippine Army’ as a private first class (PFC).
Pabilona said Lozada has been under surveillance for three months for actively selling illegal drugs “Even during the community quarantine, he was very active in his illegal drugs activity”.
Operatives of PDEA were able to seize from Lozada eight plastic sachets containing a substance believed to be shabu that weighs 20 grams with a street value of 136 thousand pesos.
Also, seized from him was the 500-peso bill marked as buy-bust money.
Lozada was brought to PDEA’s regional office in Cagayan de Oro for drug testing and filing of a case in violation of the Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act.
‘Discharged’
The Army’s 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs Office on Saturday morning issued a statement clarifying that Lozada is no longer an active member of the Philippine Army since April 28, 2020.
Here is the statement of the 1ID.
“Ex-Pvt. Mcrome Lozada, formerly assigned with 500 Combat Engineering Battalion based in Marawi City, was discharged from military service as of April 28, 2020.
He went on AWOL (absent without official leave) November last year and refused for a drug test that must have conducted by his former unit.
He was also discharged before, however during the height of Marawi siege and the need for additional troops, he was given a chance and reinstated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to serve again.
We are your professional Army and we do not tolerate our personnel to do criminal acts or use the prohibited drugs. In fact, we obliged our personnel to be tested in order to ensure that the organization is clean or drug-free.
Likewise, we are cooperating with other law enforcement agencies and we are mandated by our commander-in-chief to intensify our campaign against illegal drugs in the country.”-Divina Suson
