ILOILO – A former village chief tagged as a regional priority target was caught in a buy-bust operation in Peoples Village, Barangay Calapdan, Estancia town.
The operation was carried out at around 12:50 a.m. on Monday, December 8, by joint operatives of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office’s Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) and Provincial Intelligence Unit, the Estancia and Sara municipal police stations (MPS), and the 2nd Iloilo Provincial Mobile Force Company.
Police identified the suspect as Paolo Aldeguer Salcedo, 40 years old, and a resident of Barangay Poblacion Market, Sara, Iloilo.
Recovered from his possession were 11 plastic sachets of suspected shabu, including the buy-bust item, weighing around 770 grams and approximately valued at P5,236,000, and non-drug-related items.
Police Major Dadje Delima, chief of the PDEU, said the arrest is a significant blow against illegal drug activity in northern Iloilo.
“This suspect is considered a high-value target, and his arrest sends a strong message that we are aggressively pursuing those who continue to trade illegal drugs in our province,” he said. “The volume of shabu recovered shows the level of operation he was involved in. Through careful surveillance and teamwork, we were able to intercept and stop these illegal activities before they reached our communities.”
Delima added that the PDEU has intensified its operations leading up to the holiday season, when illegal drug transactions typically increase.
“We want to assure the public that our anti-drug operations will continue without letup. We are committed to dismantling drug networks and holding accountable those who exploit our communities,” he said.
The suspect was detained at Estancia MPS, facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002./PN
