GUIMARAS – A former Philippine Army soldier and his live-in partner were arrested during a drug buy-bust operation in Barangay Canjawan, Nueva Valencia town on Monday afternoon, June 8.
Police identified the target of the operation as 42-year-old alias “Edzil,” a native of Barangay Calumpang, Molo, Iloilo City. Also apprehended was his partner alias “Jonessa,” 42.
According to authorities, Edzil was a former member of the Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion. He went on absent without official leave (AWOL) and was subsequently dismissed from the service in 2014.
Confiscated from the suspects were approximately eight grams of suspected shabu valued at around P54,400.
Police Captain Ross Kevin Obejas, chief of the Nueva Valencia Municipal Police Station, revealed that Edzil was previously associated with a drug group whose members had already been arrested in a separate buy-bust operation in Iloilo City.
Following the downfall of his cohorts, Edzil reportedly relocated to his partner’s hometown in Nueva Valencia to hide. However, local police monitored his activities and discovered that he was still actively selling illegal drugs with the assistance of his partner.
Further police investigation revealed that the suspect’s illegal drug supply was being sourced from Barangay Calumpang in Molo./PN
