THE Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6) arrested a high-value individual (HVI) and seized approximately 310 grams of shabu worth P2.1 million during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Tabuc Suba, La Paz, Iloilo City at 10:23 p.m. on September 27, 2025.
The suspect was identified as alias Mok, 17, male and resident of La Paz District, Iloilo City.
Police said he is categorized as a child in conflict with the law (CICL). He was arrested after selling a sachet of suspected shabu to an undercover police officer in exchange for P13,000 buy-bust money.
Police recovered six sachets and five knot-tied plastic bags of shabu, buy-bust money, proceeds of previous illegal transactions, drug paraphernalia, and other non-drug items.
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, regional director of PRO 6, lauded the success of the operation and stressed the importance of collective responsibility in combating illegal drugs.
“This accomplishment demonstrates our firm commitment to rid Western Visayas of illegal drugs that destroy the lives of our youth and communities. While it is disheartening that a minor is involved in this case, it underscores the urgency of our intensified anti-drug operations and preventive programs," he said.
Parents, schools, and the community are urged to collaborate in safeguarding children's futures as PRO 6 intensifies its anti-illegal drug campaign to protect families in the region, according to Ligan.
The suspect was apprised of his constitutional rights in a dialect he understands and turned over to the Women and Children Protection Desk investigator of the Iloilo City Police Station 2. Authorities are preparing appropriate charges against him in compliance with existing laws and protocols for CICLs.
The buy-bust was the result of a month-long intelligence operation conducted by PRO 6 operatives to monitor the suspect’s activities.
The operation was led by the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit in Western Visayas, with assistance from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Group Special Operations Unit, the Regional Intelligence Division in Western Visayas, and the Iloilo City Police Station 2. (Leo Solinap/SunStar Philippines)