By Jennifer P. Rendon
More than PHP2.2 million worth of suspected shabu was seized in a police anti-narcotics operation in a mountainous village of Tubungan, Iloilo, on the afternoon of May 7.
Alias Alex, 24, was arrested in a buy-bust operation at his home in Sitio Lusad, Barangay Igtuble, Tubungan.
Members of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU) 6, along with the Tubungan Municipal Police Station, arrested Alex after he sold a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP12,000 to a confidential agent.
Upon frisking, police seized 11 additional sachets of suspected shabu, a caliber .38 revolver loaded with four rounds of ammunition, PHP1,000 in cash, two mobile phones, a sling bag, rolled aluminum foil, a digital weighing scale, two disposable lighters, several packs of empty plastic sachets, and other non-drug paraphernalia.
Captain Glenn Soliman, RPDEU-6 team leader, said the seized shabu weighed about 330 grams with an estimated standard drug price of PHP2,244,000.
Soliman identified the suspect as a newly identified high-value drug personality.
“He presented himself as an innocent young man who isn’t capable of running an illegal drug business,” Soliman said.
He added that Alex reportedly sourced his supply through a connection with an inmate at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Iloilo City District Jail in Barangay Ungka, Jaro, Iloilo City.
The inmate was identified as the live-in partner of Alex’s aunt.
He allegedly instructed Alex to pick up shabu supplies in the towns of Oton and Tigbauan, as well as in Arevalo, Iloilo City.
Alex started with small deliveries until he was entrusted with larger volumes of illegal drugs.
Soliman said Alex was placed under monitoring in December 2024 after several arrested drug suspects identified him as their source.
Village officials requested local police surveillance in January 2025.
He was frequently seen riding his motorcycle and meeting various individuals at the Tubungan plaza.
Alex is now in custody and will be charged with violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
