A WELDER was arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Bohol Provincial Office, in coordination with the Tagbilaran City Police Station and the Bohol Maritime Police, at 6:12 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Purok 8, Barangay Bool, Tagbilaran City.
PDEA 7 Director Joel Plaza identified the suspect as alias Jefferson, 27, a welder and resident of the same barangay.
Authorities seized four large packs of suspected shabu weighing 163 grams with an estimated average market value of P1,108,400.
Also recovered were the buy-bust money, a cellular phone, a motorcycle allegedly used in the delivery of illegal drugs, and other pieces of evidence, which were turned over to the PNP Bohol Forensic Unit for examination.
The suspect is under the custody of the Tagbilaran City Police Station and is set to face charges for violating Sections 5 and 11, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
PDEA 7 Information Officer Leia Alcantara said authorities conducted a one-week case buildup against the suspect after receiving information from a reliable source.
Investigators said the suspect was allegedly capable of selling up to one kilogram of shabu every week, which authorities believe came from a supplier who has yet to be identified.
Although the suspect has no previous criminal record, authorities said he had allegedly been engaged in the illegal drug trade for several months. (AYB)
