Couple Arrested in PHP1.7M Iloilo Drug Bust

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A live-in couple was arrested after authorities seized a large quantity of illegal drugs from their possession.

Erick Asignacion, 36, of Barangay Bolilao, Mandurriao, and Sheila Amor Palomar, 39, of Barangay Bakhaw, Mandurriao, were apprehended in a buy-bust operation at Palomar’s house around 3:05 p.m. on November 5.

Members of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU), along with operatives from the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU) 6 and Iloilo City Police Station 4, arrested the suspects after they sold a sachet of suspected shabu for PHP12,000.

Authorities also recovered 11 plastic sachets and two knot-tied packs of suspected shabu, along with several non-drug items.

Captain Ryan Christ Inot, CDEU team leader, reported that the seized drugs weighed around 250 grams, with an estimated street value of PHP1.7 million.

Inot described Asignacion and Palomar as among the largest shabu distributors in Iloilo City.

“Suspects previously arrested in the districts of Molo, Jaro, Arevalo, Mandurriao, City Proper, and Molo identified the couple as their source of illegal drugs,” he said.

The suspects allegedly sourced their supply from Metro Manila through a contact at the New Bilibid Prison, with the drugs sent by parcel or via roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) transport.

Both suspects are on the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) list of drug personalities.

While Asignacion had no previous drug-related arrests, Palomar was previously involved in the “Bakhaw 32,” a group of 32 individuals arrested in a police anti-drug operation on Jan. 25, 2023, in Barangay Bakhaw.

Palomar was released from jail after entering a plea-bargaining agreement.