A HIGH-VALUE individual (HVI) was arrested while about 105 grams of substance believed to be shabu worth P714,000 were seized during a buy-bust conducted by the Iloilo City Police Office (Icpo), in Zone 6, Barangay Alalasan, Lapuz District, Iloilo City, at about 3:40 p.m. on July 15, 2026.
Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño, acting regional director of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6), commended the operating units following the successful anti-illegal drug operation and reiterated the police’s commitment to intensifying the campaign against illegal drugs across the region.
“This operation sends a clear message that PRO6 will not hesitate to take decisive action against anyone who returns to the illegal drug trade. Rehabilitation provides an opportunity to reform, but those who choose to abandon that opportunity and resume criminal activities will be held fully accountable under the law. We will continue to intensify intelligence-driven operations, strengthen inter-agency coordination, and relentlessly pursue drug personalities to dismantle illegal drug networks and safeguard our communities,” Tuaño said.
The arrested suspect, identified only by the alias ET, 44, jobless and a resident of Lapuz, District, Iloilo City, was listed by police as a HVI.
Police said the suspect had surrendered under the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council program in 2016 and completed the Community-Based Rehabilitation Program in 2017.
However, investigators alleged that he later resumed involvement in the illegal drug trade, operating in Lapuz District and nearby districts.
Authorities added that the suspect had been under intelligence monitoring and surveillance for nearly three weeks before the operation.
Seized from the suspect were 11 heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing suspected shabu weighing about 105 grams with an estimated Standard Drug Price of P714,000, along with the buy-bust money and other drug and non-drug evidence.
The operation was carried out by the City Drug Enforcement Unit of the Icpo in coordination with the Maritime Police Station (Marpsta), the Icpo Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) Team, and the Station Drug Enforcement Team of Iloilo City Police Station (ICPS) 8.
The suspect remains under police custody and will face charges for violating Republic Act (RA) 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Police said the operation forms part of the continuing intelligence-driven anti-illegal drug campaign of the PRO 6 against high-value drug personalities in the region. (Leo Solinap/SunStar Philippines)