BACOLOD City – Police seized an estimated P214,200 worth of suspected shabu and arrested a 36-year-old man during the implementation of a search warrant in Barangay Tibsoc, San Enrique, Negros Occidental, on July 26.
Operatives of the San Enrique Municipal Police Station served the search warrant at the residence of the suspect, identified only by the alias “Pat,” for alleged violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Republic Act No. 9165).
Recovered during the operation were about 31.5 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated value of P214,200.
Police also confiscated a digital weighing scale, assorted plastic packaging materials, an improvised scooper, a lighter, scissors, a coin purse, a belt bag, and P1,500 in cash believed to be connected to the alleged illegal drug activity.
The suspect remains in police custody pending the filing of appropriate charges.
According to the San Enrique police, the suspect had been under surveillance since 2022 following intelligence reports linking him to alleged illegal drug activities.
Investigators said previous attempts to arrest the suspect through buy-bust operations were unsuccessful because he allegedly did not directly engage in the sale of illegal drugs during those operations.
Police said the surveillance operation eventually led authorities to secure a search warrant, resulting in the recovery of the suspected illegal drugs and other evidence.
Authorities further alleged that the suspect was engaged in the breeding, trading, and cockfighting of gamefowls, which investigators believe may have been used as a front for his alleged illegal drug operations. However, this allegation has not been independently verified and has not been established in court.
Police Brig. Gen. Romano V. Cardiño, regional director of the Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), said the operation underscores the importance of intelligence-driven and lawful police work in the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.
“The successful implementation of this search warrant demonstrates our relentless commitment to dismantling illegal drug activities through lawful and intelligence-driven operations,” Cardiño said.
He added that PRO-NIR will continue to intensify its anti-illegal drugs campaign and ensure that those involved in the illegal drug trade are brought before the courts./PN
