By Jennifer P. Rendon
Seven persons were arrested in five separate anti-illegal drug operations in Iloilo City in a span of 21 hours.
Six of the seven suspects are purported street level individuals (SLIs) while one is a “high value individual (HVI).”
Arrested were Jj Dingcong, 23, of Zone 12, Barangay Calaparan, Arevalo, Iloilo City; Pedro Arroyo, Jr.; 56, of Zone 7, Barangay Bito-on, Jaro; James Estrella, 35, of Barangay San Antonio, Molo; and Reynaldo Niepes, 42, of Barangay Boulevard, Molo.
Also arrested were Algen Angeles, 29; Keroy Angeles, 26; and Ronald Janas, 36. All are residents of Barangay Rizal Pala-Pala Zone 1, City Proper district.
Dingcong was arrested at 6:16 a.m. on September 5 at his home in Calaparan village.
Members of the Iloilo City Police Station 6 recovered nine sachets of suspected shabu and several non-drug items.
Arroyo was the biggest catch among the five operations. He was collared at 10:50 p.m. on Tuesday at his home in Bito-on.
Members of the Iloilo City Police Office-City Drug Enforcement Unit (ICPO-CDEU), together with the Iloilo City Police Station 3, collared Arroyo after selling a sachet of suspected shabu for P12,000.
Police further seized from him six sachets of shabu. The recovered substances weighed 50 grams and were valued at P340,000.
Meanwhile, Estrella, a tricycle driver, was arrested at his place in San Antonio, Molo around 11:40 p.m. on Tuesday.
Members of ICPS4 seized two sachets from the suspects.
On the other hand, the Angeles brothers and their kin were collared at 1:45 a.m. on Sept. 6 at Rizal Pala-pala 1.
ICPO-CDEU personnel confiscated five sachets of suspected shabu and a caliber .22 revolver.
The seized drugs were worth P102,000.
Niepes, also a tricycle driver, was last to fall in a buy-bust operation at 3:40 a.m. on Wednesday at Barangay Tabucan, Mandurriao.
Members of ICPS5 seized around five grams of shabu worth P34,000 from his possession.
All suspects are now detained and will be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).
