THE Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Ippo) arrested a 54-year-old casual employee of the Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST) during a buy-bust in Barangay Balabag, Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
Seized during the operation conducted at 7:43 p.m. on May 20, 2026, was P816,000 worth of shabu.
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, director of Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6), commended the operating teams for the successful anti-illegal drug operation and reaffirmed the police force’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs in the region.
“Operations like this reflect our unwavering commitment to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs in Western Visayas. We will continue to strengthen our intelligence-driven operations and partnerships with the community to ensure that individuals involved in the illegal drug trade are held accountable under the law,” Ligan said.
Arrested was alias Wax or Bax, a resident of Barangay Balabag, Santa Barbara, Iloilo, who was classified as a high-value individual (HVI).
Authorities confiscated five sachets of shabu weighing about 120 grams with an estimated standard drug price of P816,000, along with buy-bust money and other non-drug items.
The operation was carried out by operatives of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit Team 1 of Ippo in coordination with the Santa Barbara Municipal Police Station and the Provincial Intelligence Unit.
Police said the suspect was placed under police custody pending the filing of charges for violation of Section 5, or sale of illegal drugs, and Section 11, or possession of illegal drugs, under Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The operation formed part of the continuing anti-illegal drug campaign of PRO 6 aimed at dismantling the illegal drug network and arresting individuals involved in the illegal drug trade in the region. (Leo Solinap)