TWO drug suspects, including a high-value individual (HVI), were arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Ippo) in Barangay Tacbuyan, Estancia, Iloilo around 9:06 p.m. on October 25, 2025.
Members of the Ippo Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) Team 3, together with the 2nd Iloilo Provincial Mobile Force Company (IPMFC) and the Estancia Municipal Police Station (MPS), carried out the operation that led to the apprehension of two suspects identified as alias Toto Boy, 39, a mechanic and resident of Barangay Tacbuyan, classified as a HVI, and alias Biboy, 31, married, and a resident of Barangay Ipil, Balasan, Iloilo, classified as a street-level individual (SLI).
Recovered from the suspects were approximately 120 grams of shabu consisting of one buy-bust item, two large, and three regular-sized heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets of shabu, along with other non-drug items.
The seized illegal drugs have an estimated street value of P816,000.
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, regional director of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6), lauded the operating units for their sustained efforts in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“This successful operation is a testament to the continued vigilance and dedication of our personnel in eliminating the drug menace in Western Visayas. PRO 6 will not waver in its pursuit of a drug-free region,” Ligan said.
The suspects were informed of their constitutional rights in a language they understood and are now under the custody of the Estancia MPS for proper documentation and the filing of charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. (Leo Solinap/SunStar Philippines)