Ex-village chief arrested in PHP 5.2 million drug bust

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A former barangay captain was arrested in a high-stakes police anti-drug operation in Iloilo province early on Dec. 8.

The suspect, identified only as alias “Paolo,” 40, is a former chairperson of Barangay Poblacion Market in Sara, Iloilo.

He was arrested during a buy-bust operation conducted at around 12:50 a.m. at People’s Village in Barangay Calapdan, Estancia.

The operation was carried out by Team 3 of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office–Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU), in coordination with the Sara and Estancia municipal police, the IPPO Provincial Intelligence Unit, and the 2nd Iloilo Mobile Force Company.

Maj. Dadje Delima, chief of the IPPO-PDEU, said the team seized an estimated 770 grams of suspected shabu with a street value of PHP 5,236,000.

He said the suspect had been on the region’s drug watchlist and was placed under surveillance for four months prior to the operation.

“He was dormant. He was also slippery. We needed an asset that has a direct connection with him,” Delima said.

Police said Paolo had no previous drug-related arrest.

He was known to stay with friends and cohorts in Estancia while engaging in illegal drug transactions.

Delima added that Paolo sourced his supply from the same group linked to alias “Cheche,” dubbed the “drug queen of the North.”

Cheche, along with her brother and live-in partner, was arrested on Nov. 15 in Sara.

The trio yielded around 1.8 kilograms of suspected shabu worth PHP 12,240,000.

Paolo reportedly stepped away from politics after his term ended, with his mother succeeding him in office.

Police are now investigating his possible protectors and associates.

He is currently detained and will face charges for violating Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.