Indian student held for drug peddling in Philippines

An Indian student was arrested in the Philippines' capital Manila on charges of drug peddling to students in Manila and parts of central Philippines, police said.

A student of De La Salle University (DLSU) in Malate area of Manila, Prabhjot Gill, 18, was arrested for supplying illegal drugs to students from a place near the campus, during the police operation Monday, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported Wednesday.

In a joint operation by Malate Metro police and Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the police confiscated ecstasy tablets worth $7,394.57 and several vials of an unknown substance.

The vials have already been submitted for laboratory testing, PDEA said.

Meanwhile, Gill, considered as "high value target", has been brought to the drug agency's regional office, where charges of illegal possession and illegal sale of dangerous drugs were set to be filed against him in court.

PDEA agents contacted Gill and posed as drug buyers after he was placed under surveillance following reports that he was a major ecstasy distributor in Metro Manila and some parts of Central Luzon.

The police said that it had been monitoring the area near DLSU after they received tips from anonymous sources about someone supplying illegal drugs, mostly to students.