Ex-con, 3 women nabbed in Iloilo drug sting

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Four people, including a minor, were arrested in a police anti-drug operation on the evening of June 1 in Balasan, Iloilo.

Police identified the suspects only as alias Dodoy, 46, of Barangay Cano-an, Estancia, Iloilo; alias Adet, 18, of Barangay Nalumsan, Carles, Iloilo; alias Gang, 25, of Dagupan City, Pangasinan; and alias Nica, 14, also of Barangay Cano-an, Estancia.

Members of the Balasan Municipal Police Station arrested the four suspects in a buy-bust operation at a house in Barangay Balanti-an, Balasan, around 8:10 p.m. Monday.

Lt. Patrick John Alabado, Balasan police chief, said Dodoy, an ex-convict, was the target of the operation.

Police arrested the three other suspects because they were with him during the operation.

Confiscated from the suspects were 493 grams of suspected shabu with a standard drug price of PHP 3,352,400.

Alabado said police also recovered a 12-gauge homemade shotgun with one magazine loaded with five rounds of ammunition.

Dodoy was previously arrested for a drug-related offense during a search warrant operation in March 2015.

He served his sentence and was released from jail in 2025.

Several months later, police again monitored his alleged return to the illegal drug trade.

Alabado said police are looking into the possibility that Dodoy employed the three women as runners.

Dodoy, Adet, and Gang were charged Wednesday with violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

Nica was turned over to the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office of Balasan for proper disposition and intervention.