FOUR individuals, including two high-value individuals (HVIs), were arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Station Drug Enforcement Team (SDET) of the Cabatuan Municipal Police Station (MPS) in Barangay Janipaan Olo, Cabatuan, Iloilo around 5:46 p.m. on August 12, 2025.
The arrested suspects were identified as alias Ryle, 19, single, a resident of Jaro, Iloilo City; alias Rene, 55, married, a resident of Cabatuan, Iloilo; alias Neri, 34, single, a resident of Cabatuan; and alias Jenessa or Nene, 27, single, a resident of General Santos City.
Police classified Ryle and Rene as HVIs, while Neri and Jenessa were tagged as street-level individuals (SVIs). Another suspect, alias Rodelito or Rod, also tagged as an HVI, remains at large.
The operation was carried out with assistance from the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit in Western Visayas (RPDEU 6), Iloilo Police Provincial Office–Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit Team (Ippo-PDEU) 2, Philippine Drug Enforcement Group–Special Operations Unit in Western Visayas (PDEG-SOU 6), and the 603rd Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion in Western Visayas (RMFB 6).
Authorities seized nine heat-sealed plastic sachets of suspected shabu weighing about 140 grams with an estimated standard drug price of P952,000; buy-bust money; a 12-gauge shotgun with five live ammunition; and other non-drug paraphernalia.
Police Colonel Bayani Razalan, director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Ippo), credited the operation’s success to community cooperation and sustained police surveillance.
“Ini nga madinalag-on nga operasyon nagapamatuod sang aton hugot nga katuyuan nga tapnaon ang ilegal nga droga sa aton probinsya sang Iloilo. Nagapasalamat gid ako sa mga pumuluyo sang Cabatuan sa ila importante gid nga bulig paagi sa paghatag sang impormasyon nga nagresulta sa sini nga mga pagdakop. Sa tanan nga padayon pa nga nagahimo sini nga mga ilegal nga buluhaton, ginapaandaman ko gid kamo nga untatan na ninyo ini samtang temprano pa. Indi kamo makapalagyo sa kamot sang kasuguan, kag pagaatubangon ninyo ang tanan nga mabug-at nga resulta sang inyo mga ginahimo,” Razalan said.
(This successful operation proves our firm determination to curb illegal drugs in our province of Iloilo. I am very grateful to the people of Cabatuan for their very important help by providing information that resulted in these arrests. To all those who continue to engage in these illegal activities, I strongly warn you to stop while it is still early. You will not escape the hand of the law, and you will face all the severe consequences of your actions.)
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, regional director of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6), also commended the joint operatives for their swift action.
“This successful operation is a testament to our commitment to safeguard our communities from the harmful effects of illegal drugs. We will not relent in our efforts to hunt down those who peddle this menace in society. Our message is clear, there is no safe place for drug traffickers in Western Visayas,” Ligan said.
The suspects and the confiscated items are now under the custody of the Cabatuan MPS for the filing of appropriate charges. (Leo Solinap/SunStar Philippines)