A 17-YEAR-OLD resident of Ajuy, Iloilo, identified as a high-value individual (HVI), was arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Ippo) in Barangay Poblacion, Ajuy, Iloilo, at 12:24 a.m. on September 30, 2025.
Police recovered four heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing a white crystalline substance believed to be shabu, weighing approximately 80 grams, along with boodle money and other non-drug items.
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, regional director of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6), commended the operating units for the arrest and underscored the need for collective action to prevent minors from involvement in illegal drugs.
“PRO 6 remains firm in its commitment to the fight against illegal drugs, as shown by the recent arrest of a minor found in possession of suspected shabu. While we strictly enforce the law, we also uphold the rights of the minor in accordance with the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act," he said.
The operation was carried out by the Ajuy Municipal Police Station (MPS) in coordination with the Ippo-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit.
The minor was brought to the Ajuy MSP and turned over to the Ajuy Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.
Police said the filing of charges is being processed in accordance with existing laws and protocols for children in conflict with the law. (Leo Solinap/SunStar Philippines)