In a significant blow to the local drug trade, operatives from the Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) confiscated an estimated P734,400 worth of suspected shabu and arrested a young suspect during a targeted buy-bust operation in Victorias City, Negros Occidental.
Operation Details and Arrest
The successful police action unfolded on December 27, 2025, in Hacienda La Consolacion, Barangay 12. According to Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, chief of the PRO-NIR Public Information Office, the operation led to the apprehension of a high-value individual known in the drug network.
Authorities identified the suspect only by the alias “Third,” an 18-year-old sugarcane laborer residing in Paquita 1, Barangay 20, within Victorias City. Malong revealed that the Victorias City Police Station's intelligence units had been conducting surveillance on the subject prior to the arrest.
Intelligence-Driven Police Work
The operation was launched following verified information from a confidential informant regarding the suspect's alleged involvement in selling illegal drugs in Victorias City and the neighboring municipality of E.B. Magalona. After thorough validation, police established that the suspect was using his work at a sugarcane plantation as a cover to facilitate the distribution of illicit substances.
During the arrest, operatives recovered several plastic sachets containing approximately 108 grams of the suspected shabu, along with the marked money used in the entrapment.
Reinforcing the Campaign Against Drugs
Lieutenant Colonel Malong emphasized that this accomplishment strengthens PRO-NIR's ongoing, intelligence-driven campaign against illegal drugs. She highlighted the force's commitment to community safety and public security.
"Through sustained law enforcement operations, precise inter-unit coordination, and swift, decisive action, PRO-NIR continues to dismantle entrenched drug networks, neutralize high-value drug personalities, and disrupt the flow of illegal substances," Malong stated.
She added that these consistent successes send a clear message that criminal elements have no place to operate within the Negros Island Region. PRO-NIR remains steadfast in its mission to ensure safer, more secure, and drug-free communities for all residents.
