A COUNCILMAN of Barangay 3 in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental was arrested after he yielded an estimated P84,000 worth of illegal drugs in a drug bust at the said village Wednesday afternoon.

Collared was Zaldy Gayetina, 59. He is a level-three high-value target of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo).

Joint operatives of the Provincial Intelligence Unit, Hinigaran Municipal Police Station, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Negros Occidental, and Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) raided Gayetina's house at 4:25 p.m.

Police confiscated from him three sachets of suspected “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) weighing seven grams, and the P500 marked money.

Chief Inspector Jake Barila, town police chief, said Gayetina was a drug surrenderer and has been engaging in the illegal drug trade for quite some time now.

Barila said the suspect is also a member of a prominent drug group in the town.

Gayetina was brought to Iloilo for a drug test. He will be charged with sale and illegal possession of dangerous drugs.

All the recovered items were also brought to the Crime Laboratory in Iloilo for examination.