Thirteen illegal drug suspects were arrested while using a prohibited substance inside the Philippine Army headquarters in Taguig City early this week.

This was announced by Col. Xerxes Trinidad, Army spokesman, in a radio interview on Saturday.

Trinidad said the suspects, including their supplier, are civilian workers at the construction site inside the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio.

He said the Philippine Army was monitoring the suspects for a month before the buy-bust operation was successfully implemented with the help of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the local government unit of Taguig and other government agencies.

Trinidad said the construction workers were able to bring in shabu worth P88,000 in small packs inside the Army camp because they were given security passes.

A Philippine Army statement said the arrested construction worker states that he and his fellow suspects pool their meager daily income to buy shabu to keep them alert and active while at work.

He noted that the PDEA has filed appropriate cases against the 13 suspects while the construction companies conducted immediate drug testing among its workers following the incident. Robina Asido/DMS