A HIGH-VALUE individual (HVI) was arrested in an anti-illegal drug operation conducted by joint operatives of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Ippo) Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) Team 3, Barotac Viejo Municipal Police Station (MPS), and the Provincial Intelligence Unit (PIU) in Barangay Vista Alegre, Barotac Viejo, Iloilo on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.
At 8:57 p.m., authorities apprehended alias Dev, 26, single, jobless, and a resident of Barangay Natividad, Barotac Viejo, after he sold one sachet of suspected shabu to a poseur buyer.
The other suspect, alias Heart, 29, single, jobless, and a resident of Barangay Nueva Sevilla, Barotac Viejo, who is also tagged as an HVI, remains at large.
Recovered during the operation were three sachets of suspected shabu weighing approximately 65 grams, with an estimated standard drug price of P442,000, along with buy-bust money and other non-drug items.
The suspect is currently in police custody, facing charges of violating Republic Act (RA) 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, regional director of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6), commended the operating units for their continued efforts in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“This accomplishment is a clear manifestation of our strong commitment to rid Western Visayas of the menace of illegal drugs," Ligan said. (Leo Solinap/SunStar Philippines)