ILOILO City – A senior citizen and his nephew were arrested during a drug operation in Zone 5, Barangay Boulevard, Molo district. Suspected shabu valued at P2.4 million was also seized.
Suspects Melchor Tayco, 68, and Efren Diaz, 35, both residents of the same area, were taken to the Molo police station.
The operation was conducted at 2:50 p.m. by personnel from the City Drug Enforcement Unit of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), following a transaction in which the two suspects sold shabu worth P12,000 to an undercover agent.
Police recovered 120 grams of shabu.
Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Benitez Jr., of the City Drug Enforcement Unit said the suspects had been under surveillance for a month, and it took several weeks of transactions before their arrest was made.
“We waited for two weeks before arresting them. They were somewhat elusive, which was why we waited until they replenished their stock to capture more drugs,” Benitez explained.
Diaz had previously been arrested in 2016 for a similar offense and was released from jail in 2020 through a plea bargaining agreement. Tayco was also released from jail in 2022.
“After their release, they returned to selling drugs,” said Benitez.
Both suspects face charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002./PN
