By Jennifer P. Rendon
Authorities confiscated more than PHP13.6 million worth of suspected shabu in separate anti-illegal drug operations in Iloilo province.
The stings led to the arrest of three suspects, all of whom had previous drug-related arrests.
They were identified as alias Jerson, 40, of Barangay Dulonan, Pilar, Capiz; alias Brother, 35, of Barangay Zone 2, Poblacion, Estancia, Iloilo; and Rogielyn, 27, of Freedom Blvd., Barangay Mambulak, Silay City, Negros Occidental.
Police arrested Jerson at 8:40 p.m. on March 10 in Barangay Kinalkalan, Balasan.
Members of the Balasan Municipal Police Station apprehended him after he allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu for PHP50,000.
Upon frisking, police recovered six more sachets of suspected shabu and several non-drug items.
Captain Renzo Martinez, Balasan police chief, said the confiscated drugs weighed around 890 grams, valued at PHP6,052,000.
Jerson, a fighting cock handler, was previously arrested in a drug buy-bust operation on Aug. 29, 2016, in Sara, Iloilo.
He told police that he had served his sentence and was released in 2020.
Martinez said Jerson allegedly sourced his drugs from Iloilo City, picked them up in Carles town, and distributed them in Carles, Balasan, Pilar, and nearby towns in Capiz.
Aside from running his own drug business, he reportedly worked as a runner for a major drug personality in Iloilo province.
Authorities had been monitoring him for six months before his arrest.
Police also suspect Jerson of being involved in contract killings, linking him to shooting incidents in Capiz and Iloilo.
However, investigators are still verifying if formal cases have been filed against him.
Brother and Rogielyn were arrested at 4:45 a.m. on March 11 in Barangay Bulaqueña, Estancia town.
The operation was conducted by the Iloilo Police Provincial Office – Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU) Team 3, with support from the IPPO Provincial Intelligence Unit, Estancia Municipal Police Station, and PNP Headquarters Regional Maritime Unit 6 intelligence operatives.
Police caught the couple after they sold a sachet of suspected shabu for PHP12,000.
Authorities seized ten knot-tied plastic packs of suspected shabu and several non-drug items.
Major Dadje Delima, IPPO-PDEU chief, said the drugs weighed around 1.120 kilograms, valued at PHP7,616,000.
Delima noted that both suspects had previous drug-related arrests and were out on bail at the time of their latest apprehension.
The couple allegedly sourced their drugs from Metro Manila.
Police had been tracking them since last year before their arrest.
The suspects are currently detained and will be charged with violating Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).
