‘Drug queen of the North’ nabbed in PHP 12.2M bust

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By Jennifer P. Rendon

A woman known as the “Drug Queen of the North,” along with her brother and live-in partner, was arrested during a police anti-narcotics operation in Barangay Aldeguer in Sara, Iloilo on the evening of Nov. 15.

Alias Cheche, 37, of Barangay Poblacion Zone 1, Estancia; her partner Almar, 34, of Barangay Pa-on, Estancia; and her brother Raul, of Barangay Calapdan, Estancia, were arrested after allegedly selling five sachets of suspected shabu worth PHP 50,000 to an undercover agent.

The buy-bust was conducted by the Iloilo Police Provincial Office–Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU) Team 3, with support from IPPO-PDEU Teams 1 and 2, the 2nd Iloilo Provincial Mobile Force Company, the IPPO Provincial Intelligence Unit, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Sara Municipal Police Station.

Following the operation, police seized 17 more sachets and 11 knot-tied plastic packs of suspected shabu, along with several non-drug items. The illegal drugs were found inside a plastic bag placed on Cheche’s lap while she was seated in a rented Mitsubishi Xpander.

Maj. Dadje Delima, IPPO-PDEU chief, said the confiscated drugs weighed approximately 1.8 kilograms, with a standard drug price estimated at PHP 12.24 million.

All three suspects have prior arrests related to illegal drugs.

Cheche and her younger brothers, Jose Maria and Bryan, were previously arrested in a Sept. 1, 2023, buy-bust in Lemery, Iloilo, where PHP 1.36 million worth of shabu was confiscated. She is currently out on bail.

Almar has been arrested twice for drug-related offenses. One case was dismissed, while he was convicted in the other but later released after entering a plea bargaining agreement.

Raul has also been previously arrested in another anti-drug operation.

Delima said Cheche is now considered the biggest drug dealer in the fifth district of Iloilo, following the arrests of other high-value targets.

She allegedly sourced her drug supply from Metro Manila and used roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) buses for transport.

Police said her supplier is believed to be an inmate previously detained at the New Bilibid Prison and currently serving time at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan.

The suspects are now in custody and will face charges for violating Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.