POLICE arrested a high-value individual after seizing around P310,000 worth of shabu during a buy-bust in Barangay Balabag, Pavia, Iloilo, around 9:58 a.m. on December 9, 2025.
The operation was conducted by the Pavia Municipal Police Station (MPS) and the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Ippo)-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit.
Police identified the suspect as alias Amboy or Kejie, 43, a resident of Pototan, Iloilo, who was temporarily staying in Pavia with his live-in partner.
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, regional director of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6), commended the units for the operation.
“This achievement reaffirms Police Regional Office 6’s steadfast commitment to suppressing illegal drug activities and safeguarding the welfare of our communities. We remain resolute in upholding the law and ensuring peace and security across the region,” Ligan said.
Authorities recovered 10 plastic sachets of a white crystalline substance believed to be shabu, buy-bust money, and various non-drug items.
The suspect was detained at the Pavia MPS while charges are being prepared for violations of Sections 5 and 11 of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Police Colonel Bayani Razalan, provincial director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Ippo), said the arrest followed a month of surveillance that was prompted by reports from concerned citizens linking the suspect to illegal drug activity.
According to investigators, the suspect had been sourcing illegal drugs from Metro Manila and distributing them across Pavia municipality.
Razalan said the Ippo remains committed to pursuing drug offenders and maintaining peace, order, and public safety in the province. (Leo Solinap)