Iloilo city: Separate anti-drug operations launched by the police here and in Santa Barbara town led to the seizure of 350 grams of shabu worth around PHP2.38 million and the arrest of three high-value individuals, according to a report from the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO-6) on Thursday.
According to Philippines News Agency, the first operation was conducted by the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 6 in Barangay Sinikway at around 2:55 p.m. on Wednesday in Barangay Sinikway, Lapuz district in Iloilo City. This operation led to the arrest of two individuals known by their aliases, Pipoy, aged 34, and Gerry, aged 19. Both suspects are from Barangay Zona Sur, Banate, Iloilo, and were temporarily residing in Barangay Sinikway.
During the operation, law enforcement confiscated nine heat-sealed and two knot-tied transparent plastic sachets of suspected shabu, weighing approximately 230 grams. The estimated value of these illegal substances is PHP1.56 million. It was noted in the report that alias Pipoy had previously been arrested for similar offenses and released in 2023, only to allegedly resume illegal drug activities in Iloilo City and surrounding areas in collaboration with alias Gerry.
In a separate operation, the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit Team 1 conducted another raid on Wednesday evening in Barangay Balabag, Santa Barbara. This resulted in the arrest of a 54-year-old suspect known by the alias Wax/Bax, who resides in the same barangay. Approximately 120 grams of shabu, valued at PHP816,000, were seized from this suspect.
PRO-6 director Brig. Gen. Josefino Ligan praised the operatives for their efforts and emphasized the importance of intelligence-driven operations and collaboration in apprehending drug offenders and dismantling illegal drug networks across the region. "This successful operation reflects our firm commitment to ensuring safer communities and sustaining the momentum of our intensified anti-illegal drugs campaign in Western Visayas," Ligan stated in a press release.
