Ex-Soldier, Housewife Nabbed in Drug Bust

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A dismissed Philippine Army member and a housewife were arrested in an anti-illegal drugs operation on the afternoon of Feb. 24 in Banate, Iloilo.

The suspects, identified as alias “Jojo,” 45, and alias “Becbec,” 42, were caught in a buy-bust operation at Becbec’s house in Barangay Belen, Banate.

Officers from the Banate Municipal Police Station arrested the two after they allegedly conspired to sell a sachet of suspected shabu to an undercover police officer.

Authorities also recovered 16 more sachets of suspected shabu.

A .38-caliber revolver was seized from Jojo.

Captain Randy Lambungan, Banate police chief, said the confiscated drugs weighed around 10 grams with an estimated value of PHP68,000.

He said Becbec was the primary target of the operation, while Jojo, who claimed to be her relative, allegedly acted as her runner.

Jojo enlisted in the military in 2001 but went AWOL in 2005.

Becbec and her husband were the subjects of a buy-bust operation last year.

However, the couple managed to escape through the back of their house and hid in a mangrove area.

Her husband did not return to Banate and is reportedly staying in Barangay Bakhaw, Mandurriao, Iloilo City, where Becbec allegedly sourced her drug supply.

Before the arrest, police conducted two test buys earlier that day.

A case for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, has been filed against the suspects.

Lambungan said authorities are awaiting verification from the Regional Civil Service Unit (RCSU) 6 regarding the firearm seized from Jojo.