BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO & JEN BAYLON
ILOILO City – Suspected shabu worth P40,800,000 was seized during a buy-bust operation in Sitio Siga2, Barangay Don T. Lutero East in Janiuay, Iloilo at around 7:33 a.m. on Sunday.
This is the biggest single-operation confiscation of illegal drugs in Western Visayas to date by the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 6 (RPDEU-6).
The approximately six kilograms of shabu was intended for distribution this Christmas season and Dinagyang Festival next month, according to Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor.
Suspect Miklyn Acosta, tagged by police as a drug courier, was collared while her companion, a certain “Koikoi,” was able to flee.
According to Captain Glen Soliman, head of RPDEU-6 which spearheaded the operation together with the Regional Mobile Force 6 and the Janiuay Municipal Police Station, their main target was Koikoi, who allegedly supplied illegal drugs in Iloilo and Capiz provinces.
Soliman said their asset bought P26,000 worth of suspected shabu from Koikoi and Acosta.
However, Koikoi escaped upon realizing it was a police sting, leaving behind Acosta and six kilos of shabu.
“It took us more than one month of surveillance before our target was transacted because he would not deal with other people who were known to him. The shabu was placed in a box, and they picked it up in the town of Pototan. Ang ila balay amo na ang ila ‘bodega.’ Bodegero sila nga duha kag iya (Koikoi) asawa nga wala sang nag-operate kita,” Soliman told Panay News.
Their items were mainly sourced from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City and were shipped through trucking, Soliman further said.
Acosta was detained at the Janiuay police station and would be facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Villaflor congratulated the operating units for the seizure and assured the public that they would continue their efforts in the fight against illegal drugs.
“Another high-impact accomplishment through intelligence-driven operations coupled with the support of the populace. Marami na namang buhay ang ating nailigtas na malulong sa iligal na droga. Kailangan nating magtulongan para masiguro ang ligtas at payapang komunidad,” he said./PN
