ILOILO City – A two-month surveillance operation led to the arrest of a high-value drug target here, yielding over P5.78 million worth of suspected shabu and marking one of the region’s biggest anti-drug hauls this quarter.
The suspect, a 26-year-old jobless male resident of Barangay Sambag, Jaro district, was cornered in Barangay San Pedro, Molo district, around 8:39 p.m. on November 8, during a coordinated buy-bust operation by anti-narcotics operatives.
Authorities recovered around 850 grams of suspected shabu, contained in nine plastic sachets and six knot-tied transparent bags, along with five grams used for the transaction and P12,000 in marked money.
Investigators said the suspect’s distribution network allegedly extended across Iloilo City and nearby municipalities.
Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director Police Brigadier General Josefin Ligan hailed the arrest as a major blow to the local drug trade.
“This successful operation is a result of our continuous and coordinated efforts to curb the distribution of illegal drugs in Western Visayas. Let this serve as a warning to those still involved in the illegal drug trade. PRO6 will not stop until our communities are safe and drug-free,” Ligan said.
The operation was conducted by the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU), in coordination with the Regional Intelligence Division (RID), PDEG Special Operations Unit 6, and Iloilo City Police Station 4 (ICPS-4).
The suspect, who had been under watch for two months following intelligence reports linking him to illegal drug distribution, is now under police custody. He faces charges for violating Sections 5 and 11 of Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which carry penalties ranging from life imprisonment to death and fines between P500,000 and P10 million./PN
