Ex-con, Pal Nabbed in PHP 2.1M Drug Bust

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By Jennifer P. Rendon

An ex-convict and his accomplice were arrested during a police anti-drug operation on the evening of Dec. 10 in City Proper, Iloilo City.

Jim Abada, 40, and his 20-year-old neighbor, Ace Amoroso, were apprehended at Abada’s house in Del Rama Compound, Barangay Zamora-Melliza, City Proper.

The operation was conducted by members of the Iloilo City Police Station 1, together with the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU) 6, Iloilo City Police Office City Drug Enforcement Unit (ICPO-CDEU), Special Weapons and Tactics team, and the PNP Drug Enforcement Group.

Police said the suspects allegedly conspired to sell a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP 8,000 to an undercover operative.

Following the transaction, authorities recovered 13 sachets and four knot-tied plastic bags of suspected shabu.

Captain Roque Gimeno III, chief of Iloilo City Police Station 1, said the confiscated drugs weighed approximately 320 grams, with an estimated standard drug value of PHP 2,176,000.

Gimeno identified Abada as the “right-hand man” of Joel Barcebas, a detainee at the New Bilibid Prison.

Barcebas, who is serving time for murder charges, allegedly orchestrates drug transactions from prison, while Abada handles operations outside.

Abada, a relative of Barcebas, had been previously arrested and detained for a drug-related offense in 2004 but was released three years later.

Meanwhile, Amoroso was reportedly involved in a homicide but was freed because he was a minor at the time of the crime.

Both suspects are now in custody and face charges for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.