The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Ippo) arrested a 54-year-old casual employee of the Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST) during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Balabag, Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
The operation, conducted at 7:43 p.m. on May 20, 2026, led to the seizure of approximately 120 grams of shabu valued at P816,000, along with buy-bust money and other non-drug items.
Police Commendation and Commitment
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, director of the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6), commended the operating teams for the successful anti-illegal drug operation. He reaffirmed the police force’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs in the region.
“Operations like this reflect our unwavering commitment to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs in Western Visayas. We will continue to strengthen our intelligence-driven operations and partnerships with the community to ensure that individuals involved in the illegal drug trade are held accountable under the law,” Ligan said.
Arrest and Charges
The arrested suspect, identified as alias Wax or Bax, is a resident of Barangay Balabag, Santa Barbara, Iloilo, and was classified as a high-value individual (HVI). Authorities confiscated five sachets of shabu weighing about 120 grams with an estimated standard drug price of P816,000, along with buy-bust money and other non-drug items.
The operation was carried out by operatives of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit Team 1 of Ippo in coordination with the Santa Barbara Municipal Police Station and the Provincial Intelligence Unit.
Police said the suspect was placed under police custody pending the filing of charges for violation of Section 5, or sale of illegal drugs, and Section 11, or possession of illegal drugs, under Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The operation formed part of the continuing anti-illegal drug campaign of PRO 6 aimed at dismantling the illegal drug network and arresting individuals involved in the illegal drug trade in the region.
