By Francis Allan L. Angelo
President Rodrigo Duterte was honest enough to admit that his campaign against illegal drugs failed despite the bloody strategy his administration employed after six years in office.
The deaths of suspected drug pushers did not deter some persons to continue peddling drugs like shabu.
The best proof is the arrest of five persons and seizure of 120 grams of suspected shabu valued at about P816,000 in two separate anti-illegal drug stings on May 25, 2022 in Pavia, Iloilo and LaPaz, Iloilo City.
Raymond Tatel, 35, was collared by Drug Enforcement Team operatives of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office and Pavia Municipal Police Station at Barangay Tigum Pavia at around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday.
The cops seized from Tatel 10 sachets of suspected shabu and other non-drug items.
The seized substance weighed 85 grams and valued at P578,000.
At around 8:50 p.m., the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 6 and Iloilo City Police Station 2 launched a separate buy-bust operation at Zone 1, Barangay Baldoza, La Paz, Iloilo City that resulted in the arrest of four individuals.
Arrested were:
1) Chua Young y Hulleza, 18, resident of Barangay Baldoza, Lapaz, Iloilo City;
2) Kelvin Bryan Hulleza y Solano, 19, resident of Barangay Fajardo, Iloilo City;
3) Aldrin Garcia y Eduardo, 21, single, resident of Barangay Bangbang Roxas, City; and
4) Fritz Alvin Anacan y Jaboneta, 21, and resident of Barangay Baldoza, Lapaz, Iloilo City.
The poseur-buyer convinced the suspects to sell a plastic sachet of shabu in exchange for P11,000.
The team later recovered from the suspects 11 plastic sachets of suspected shabu.
The substance weighed 35 grams with an estimated price of P238,000.
All five suspects were placed under surveillance for a couple of months before the operations were launched.
Police Brigadier General Flynn E Dongbo, Western Visayas police director, lauded the police officers who mounted the operations.
The five suspects were charged for violating Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2022).
