A 36-YEAR-OLD construction worker was arrested after police seized around 250 grams of suspected shabu worth an estimated P1.7 million during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Calahunan, Mandurriao District, Iloilo City, around 9:55 p.m. on November 5, 2025.
The suspect, identified as alias Toto, is a resident of Mandurriao District. Police recovered 11 heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets and four knot-tied transparent plastic bags containing the suspected shabu, along with buy-bust money and several non-drug items.
The operation was conducted by personnel from the Iloilo City Police Office–City Drug Enforcement Unit (ICPO-CDEU), Iloilo City Police Station 5–Station Drug Enforcement Team, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team of ICPO, Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group–Special Operations Unit 6, and the Regional Intelligence Unit 6.
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, director of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6), said the operation shows the police’s “commitment to fight against the drug menace that threatens the peace and future of our communities.”
The suspect is under police custody and will face charges for violating Sections 5 and 11, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
These offenses carry penalties ranging from life imprisonment to death and fines from P500,000 to P10 million. (Leo Solinap/SunStar Philippines)