ILOILO City – The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) seized approximately P13.7 million worth of illegal drugs in two separate buy-bust operations in northern Iloilo.
On Monday night, March 10, officers of the Balasan Municipal Police Station (MPS) led by Captain Renzo Martinez caught alias “Jopet,” 40, a resident of Barangay Dulonan, Pilar, Capiz after he handed a plastic sachet containing suspected shabu to a poseur buyer for P50,000, in Barangay Kinalkalan, Balasan, Iloilo.
Police confiscated around 890 grams of the said illegal substance with an estimated value of P6,052,000.
According to IPPO director Colonel Bayani Razalan, the suspect was under surveillance for four months before he was collared.
“We have been tailing him for four months to get huge volume of drugs until we got an asset who is known to him, that’s why we caught him,” said Razalan.
He added that the suspect gets his supply from Iloilo City and he is the illegal drug supplier in northern Iloilo and Capiz.
The second operation was carried out in Barangay Bulaqueña, Estancia, Iloilo around 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday, March 11.
Operatives of the IPPO’s Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) Team 3, with support from the Estancia MPS, Provincial Intelligence Unit and Headquarters Regional Maritime Unit 6’s Intelligence Unit, apprehended live-in partners aliases “Brother,” 35, of Barangay Zone 2, Poblacion, Estancia, and “Lyn,” 27, a native of Freedom Boulevard, Barangay Mambulak, Silay City, Negros Occidental.
Recovered from their possession were 1,120 grams of suspected shabu approximately valued at P7.616 million.
The Iloilo province’s top cop lauded the operatives for their relentless dedication and the sacrifices they made in the line of duty, highlighting their crucial role in safeguarding the community and upholding the law.
“I commended our operatives for their unwavering dedication and sacrifices which led to the confiscation of this significant volume of illegal drugs. This achievement marks a major victory in our relentless campaign against the drug menace. Every gram seized means fewer drugs reaching our communities, protecting countless lives from the devastating effects of illegal substances,” said Razalan.
He added that the said operations underscore the IPPO’s steadfast commitment to ensuring a safer, drug-free Iloilo province through intensified anti-drug initiatives and robust community partnerships.
The three suspects, whom Razalan tagged as drug couriers, are now detained. They are facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002./PN
