‘Birthday boy’ nabbed in PHP 374K drug sting

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A man was arrested on his birthday for allegedly engaging in the illegal drug trade.

Alias Toto, 32, a porter, was collared at his residence in Barangay Veterans Village, City Proper, Iloilo City at around 11:10 p.m. on March 17.

Members of the Iloilo City Police Office-City Drug Enforcement Unit (ICPO-CDEU), together with the Iloilo Maritime Police Station, the ICPO Special Weapons and Tactics team, and Iloilo City Police Station 1, apprehended the suspect following a buy-bust operation.

He allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu for PHP 12,000.

Police operatives recovered four more sachets and several non-drug items from the suspect.

Capt. Roque Gimeno III, ICPO-CDEU chief, said the seized shabu weighed around 55 grams with a standard drug price of PHP 374,000.

Toto used to reside in Barangay Obrero in the Lapuz district but has since relocated to Veterans Village.

He allegedly used the family home as a drug den, prompting his relatives to move out.

Gimeno said Toto allowed clients to use his home for pot sessions in exchange for PHP 200 per use.

His last customers of the day had just left when police conducted the operation.

Toto has no previous drug-related arrest and is classified as a newly identified drug personality.

The suspect is now detained and will face charges for violation of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which penalizes the sale, possession, and use of illegal drugs in the Philippines.