Five persons, including an alleged “shabu” peddler, were rounded up by anti-narcotics police after the raid in a house in Taguig City, it was gathered on Wednesday.

The alleged drug peddler, identified as Jonard Santos, 31, a resident of 09 Kalayaan St., Barangay Ususan, uses his house as a drug den where addicts can have a private sniffing session, said Senior Supt. Camilo Cascolan, police chief.

Also arrested during Tuesday afternoon’s operation were Ruel Cardaño, 34, also of Kalayaan St.; Christopher Sucgang, 29, of Barangay Pinagsama; Reynold Torres, 31, of GHQ, Signal Village, and Samson Balan, 28, of Western Bicutan, all in Taguig.

Santos, who is listed in the police watch list, became the second drug “pusher” to fall in the hands of local Station Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Task Group (SAID-SOTG) members in just five days.

According to Cascolan, SAID-SOTG operatives staged a buy-bust operation along Kalayaan Street. The undercover police, PO1 Jerry V. Balbin and PO2 Noel O. Antillon, Jr. acted as poseur buyers and were able to purchase P500-worth of shabu from Santos.

The SAID-SOTG stormed Santos’ house following the transaction and caught another four men huddled inside. Recovered from the suspect’s abode were two sachets of illegal drug.

It appeared that the house also serves as a haven for drug addicts where drug sessions could be conducted for a fee.

Charges of drug pushing and maintaining a drug den have been filed against the suspects before the Taguig prosecutor’s office.

Last Friday, SAID-SOTG members pounced on Joel Velasco, alias “Taliban,” 32, of DOTC Compound, Purok 1A, Lower Bicutan.

Velasco, police said, supplies other drug peddlers in Taguig with shabu.

Taguig Mayor Sigfrido Tinga lauded the arrest of Santos’ group amid the city’s sustained no-nonsense campaign against illegal drugs.

Tinga continued to call for the public’s vigilance and to report immediately any information that would lead to the arrest of drug pushers and users. (with a report by Jean Fernando)