ANTI-NARCOTICS operatives and local police arrested on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, a prison guard for alleged selling and possession of illegal drugs in Carigara, Leyte.

The suspect was identified as Ricardito Javines, 54, and listed as a high-value target (HVT) of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Eastern Visayas.

Purchased from the suspect was a sachet believed to be containing shabu, while confiscated from his possession and control were MOL 5 grams of suspected shabu worth 34,000, and a P1,000 bill with serial number AS 166345 used as buy-bust money, police said in the report.

The documentation and inventory of confiscated pieces of drug evidence were held at the place of arrest in the presence of the suspect.

Representatives from the barangay, Department of Justice, and media also witnessed the documentation and inventory, it added.

On September 27, PDEA and police operatives apprehended another HVT in Carigara.

The suspect was identified as Edsil Brier y Oriol, a resident of the said town.

Confiscated during the operation were several sachets of shabu weighing MOL 5 grams with an estimated market value of P35,000, according to PDEA.

Cases for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are now being prepared for filing in court against the suspects. (SunStar Philippines)