By Jennifer P. Rendon
Two teenage boys were arrested in an anti-illegal drug operation on the evening of Feb. 28 in Passi City, Iloilo.
Police identified the suspects only by their aliases: Philip, 18, of Poblacion Ilaya, Passi City, and Joshua, 17, of Barangay Aglalana, Passi City.
Members of the Passi City Police Station, along with the Iloilo Police Provincial Office – Provincial Special Operations Group (IPPO-PSOG), apprehended the two after they allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu for PHP1,100 in Poblacion Ilaya.
During a frisk search, police recovered five more sachets of suspected shabu and several non-drug items from the suspects.
Lieutenant Colonel Benjo Clarite, chief of Passi City police, said the seized drugs weighed around 15 grams with an estimated street value of PHP102,000.
Clarite said Philip and Joshua are newly identified street-level drug pushers with no prior arrests.
Their names surfaced after police arrested another drug personality a few weeks ago.
A surveillance operation confirmed their involvement in the drug trade.
The suspects allegedly operated in Passi City and nearby towns.
They reportedly sourced their supply from a drug peddler in San Enrique, Iloilo.
Police expressed concern over the growing drug trade in Passi City, particularly the involvement of minors.
Clarite said the arrest of Philip and Joshua brings the total number of drug-related apprehensions in the city to nine for February.
The suspects are now detained and will face charges for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
