ILOILO City – The seizure of P816 million worth of shabu in Oriental Mindoro recently has seemingly caught the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) off guard, and raised questions about the extent of its insight into what could be a sprawling drug network either operating within Western Visayas or using the region as a major transshipment hub.
The arrest of Christopher Malco, an Iloilo native with alleged ties to past drug operations in the city, further raised serious questions about how such a large-scale operation evaded detection and whether PRO-6 is fully aware of the drug traffickers exploiting the region’s ports and transport routes.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has confirmed that Malco, the man arrested at Calapan Port, Oriental Mindoro, with the huge volume of shabu, was on the drug watchlist of PRO-6.
Brigadier General Jack Wanky, director of PRO-6, disclosed during a press conference that his office is coordinating with the MIMAROPA (Southern Tagalog Region) Police Regional Office to gather more intelligence on Malco’s alleged role in the illegal drug trade.
Authorities are also investigating the intended destination of the seized drugs — whether it was bound for Panay, Negros, Cebu, or Mindanao.
Who is Christopher Malco?
Malco, 43, is originally from Barangay Pulo Maestra Vita, Oton, Iloilo. However, he has not resided there for several years. Barangay officials recall that in 2016, his father expelled him from their home after their house burned down. Since then, Malco was believed to be living in Barangay Balabag, Pavia, Iloilo, with his wife.
Barangay officials in Oton and Pavia had no record of Malco being involved in illegal drugs. They described him as a former taxi driver and watermelon farmer, while some accounts say he worked as a truck driver. His name was not on the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) list, and Pulo Maestra Vita in Oton was only recently declared a drug-cleared barangay in 2025.
Despite this, reports from authorities suggest that Malco had long been under surveillance. His alleged involvement in large-scale drug trafficking came to light when he was linked to past drug operations in Iloilo City.
Tracing the Drug Network
Malco’s arrest at Calapan Port was a major breakthrough in what appears to be a well-organized drug network. According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) MIMAROPA, authorities intercepted his vehicle, a Toyota Camry, where they discovered 120 kilograms of suspected shabu hidden inside two pieces of luggage and five travel bags. Initial reports indicated that the shipment was bound for Iloilo City.
Further investigations revealed that Malco had been previously named by arrested drug suspects as their supplier. The City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) in Iloilo confirmed that they had prior intelligence on Malco.
According to CDEU head Captain Ryan Christ Inot, some drug suspects they apprehended pointed to Malco as their source, but he often used intermediaries to conduct transactions.
Records show that in October 2024, two major drug busts in Iloilo led authorities to Malco:
* October 17, 2024 – A buy-bust operation in Tacas, Jaro, resulted in the seizure of P6.8 million worth of shabu.
* October 30, 2024 – A raid in Barangay Bitoon, Jaro, yielded 400 grams of shabu valued at P2.7 million.
Malco allegedly used his job as a truck driver to transport illicit drugs from Luzon to Iloilo. His usual route involved stopping in Barangay Lanit, Jaro district, where drugs would be discreetly handed over to distributors.
Family Denies Knowledge of Drug Trade
Malco’s wife, Janice, claimed she was unaware of his involvement in illegal drugs. She revealed that they had been living separately for about 10 years. The last time they saw each other was in July 2024 when Christopher attended his father’s funeral. She also stated that Malco rarely contacted her and had not returned home in years.
His second son, alias “Negro,” also expressed surprise at the allegations. He said his father had stopped staying at their home in Barangay Balabag, Pavia, after his grandfather’s death and was reportedly seen with another woman.
Impact on Drug Operations in Iloilo
Authorities believe Malco’s arrest will significantly disrupt drug distribution in Western Visayas. PRO-6 has intensified port monitoring and joint operations with other law enforcement agencies to prevent further drug shipments into the region.
“Well, it doesn’t necessarily follow that just because the driver caught was from Iloilo, the shipment was meant for Panay,” General Wanky said. “But there is a big possibility. Based on our interdiction efforts, we have seen that major drug shipments are intercepted almost daily in Panay and Negros. We know that our region is a transit area, and some of the drugs even reach as far as Mindanao.”
He added that intelligence monitoring shows illegal drugs moving between Manila, Cebu, and Mindanao, with suppliers crisscrossing different regions. Given the scale of the intercepted drugs, authorities are treating the case as a serious challenge.
“We are closely coordinating with our counterparts in MIMAROPA to conduct a debriefing on the suspect. This will help us determine whether the drugs were really intended for Panay or Negros,” Wanky said./PN
