ILOILO City – A top drug trafficking suspect here was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Buray, Oton, Iloilo. Shabu worth P3.2 million was seized.
The 48-year-old Elmer Niquia was a resident of Barangay Alalasan, La Paz district.
On Jan. 21 at around 10 p.m., an undercover policeman bought P20,000 worth of suspected shabu from the suspect, according to Police Colonel Gilbert Gorero, director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO).
Around 200 more grams were recovered. These had a street value of P3.2 million, said Gorero.
Niquia was placed under surveillance for two weeks prior to the buy-bust.
The suspect’s suppliers were based in Manila but payments were circuitous presumably to avoid being tracked by authorities, said Gorero.
These were coursed through money transfer services, with the money landing in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, he added.
A case for violation of sections 5 and 11 of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) would be filed against Niquia.
The buy-bust operation was conducted by joint elements of the Oton municipal police station and the IPPO’s Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit Team.
La Paz police station chief, Police Major Edfel Balibadlan confirmed that the suspect was also their “top priority”.
“But lately, he was rarely seen in their barangay. We learned that he was renting a house in Oton,” said Balibadlan.
Police Brigadier General Rolando Miranda, Western Visayas police director, hailed Niquia’s arrest.
“We will conduct more operations targeting high-value drug personalities,” he said./PN
