THREE high-value individuals (HVI) were arrested and about 215 grams of shabu worth P1,462,000 were seized in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Centro Dos, Simon Ledesma, Jaro District, Iloilo City at 10:55 a.m. Thursday, February 12, 2026, police said.
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, regional director of Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6), commended the operating units for the successful operation.
“This successful operation demonstrates our unwavering commitment to dismantling illegal drug activities in Iloilo City. We will continue to strengthen our intelligence-driven operations to protect our communities from the dangers of illegal drugs,” Ligan said.
Arrested were alias AJ, 30, a construction worker; alias Mol-Mol, 28, a fish vendor; and alias May-May Libat, 43, unemployed. All are single and residents of Barangay Centro Dos. They were tagged as HVIs.
Confiscated from the suspects were 10 heat-sealed and five knot-tied transparent plastic sachets containing shabu, along with buy-bust money and other non-drug items.
The operation was conducted by the City Drug Enforcement Unit of the Iloilo City Police Office, with support from the Regional Intelligence Unit in Western Visayas, the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit of the Icpo, and Iloilo City Police Station (ICPS) 9.
Police said the buy-bust was the result of three weeks of intensified monitoring and surveillance, aided by information from concerned community members.
The suspects are now in police custody and will face charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Authorities said the three will also be charged with resisting arrest after allegedly attempting to evade and obstruct the arresting officers during the operation. (Leo Solinap/SunStar Philippines)