CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC: PHP2 Million Worth of Drugs Seized in Iloilo City Sting

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Four suspected drug traffickers were arrested after getting stuck in traffic while attempting to flee from a buy-bust operation in Arevalo, Iloilo City, on the evening of May 26.

Police arrested alias Jocel, 29, of Barangay San Vicente, Jaro; Mark, 29, of Barangay Bakhaw, Mandurriao; and Monica, 23, and her boyfriend Francis, 23, both of Barangay Rizal Estanzuela, City Proper district.

The operation began when Jocel and Mark allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP12,000 to a police poseur buyer along the roadside of Zone 11, Barangay Calaparan, Arevalo, around 8:25 p.m. Monday.

Inside the red Toyota Vios with them were Monica, Francis and Jocel’s 2-year-old daughter.

Before members of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU) 6 could make an arrest, the suspects sped off in the vehicle.

However, their attempted escape was cut short when they were caught in traffic about 70 meters from the site of the drug deal.

Captain Glenn Soliman, RPDEU-6 team leader, said the suspects locked the vehicle and refused to come out, prompting a brief negotiation.

Soliman said officers could not initially determine how many people were inside the car because its windows were heavily tinted.

The vehicle was boxed in between a modernized jeepney, which police instructed not to move, and the operatives’ car.

After a five-minute standoff, the suspects surrendered to authorities.

Police recovered 11 more sachets and five knot-tied plastic bags of suspected shabu, PHP700 in cash, two mobile phones, a glass tooter and other non-drug items.

Authorities also took custody of the rented vehicle used in the operation.

Soliman said the seized drugs weighed approximately 300 grams, with a standard drug value of PHP2,074,000.

Among the four suspects, only Mark had a prior drug-related arrest and was previously released through a plea bargaining agreement.

Soliman said police had received reports that Jocel sourced her supply from local contacts.

On the day of the arrest, Jocel was scheduled to pick up her live-in partner from the airport.

She also arranged for a beautician to meet her at a condominium to do her hair.

Soliman said Jocel briefly left the beautician to complete the drug transaction, intending to pay her with the proceeds.

Following the arrest, police turned over Jocel’s child to her parents after they were brought to the police station.

All four suspects are now in custody and will be charged with violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.