Image capture from Little Yassi’s vlog via YouTube • NBI agents arrested five members of the group that sold party drugs at the Close-Up Forever Summer concert in Pasay City
• A kitchen-type drug laboratory was found in the suspects’ hideout
• The arrests were made following a tip from a politician whose son was victimized by the group
Five members of a group that allegedly sold party drugs to attendees in the Close-Up Forever Summer open air concert at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City were arrested by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents during a buy-bust operation in Parañaque on Tuesday, May 31.
Five concertgoers died during the concert allegedly due to drugs overdose.
The suspects were presented to the media by NBI Anti-Illegal Drugs Division Chief Atty. Joel Tovera in a press conference on Wednesday, June 1. He identified them as Marc Deen, Erica Valbuena, Thomas Halili, Martin Dimacali and Seergeoh Villanueva– the alleged leader of the group.
Villanueva was the first to be arrested after he accepted the marked money from an undercover agent in exchange for a small medicine bottle containing ecstasy pills.
The NBI agents asked Villanueva to lead them to his hideout; a condominium unit where the four other suspects were arrested. Atty. Tovera said they discovered that the condo unit housed a kitchen-type drug laboratory.
GMA News Online said the NBI agents seized cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, and enhancer pills that Atty. Tovera said were consistent with the contents of green amore; reportedly a lethal mix of ecstasy and methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu that they seized from past operations. A bag of empty capsules were also found.
“Paano nila ipapaliwanag itong empty capsules at saan naman nila gagamitin ito? (How will they explain these empty capsules and where will they use them),” he asked.
Atty. Tovera said the buy-bust operation was conducted following information from a politician whose son was victimized by the group that sold party drugs at the Close Up concert.
“A concerned politician texted one of my agents that his son was a victim of a syndicate that circulated drugs during the Close-Up Summer party,” he said; adding that the politician sent photos of the man who sold his son illegal drugs.
Tovera declined to name the politician who requested anonymity.
During tactical interrogation, the five suspects admitted all of them were present at the concert.
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