Four arrested in PHP 14-million drug bust in Iloilo

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU) recorded its biggest shabu haul to date following the arrest of four persons in Balasan, Iloilo on Thursday.

Alias Bimboy, 46, of Barangay Gogo, Estancia, led the group of suspects arrested in a buy-bust operation at Barangay Maya, Balasan, at around 1:35 a.m. on Feb. 20.

Bimboy, the target of the operation, was on the Philippine National Police’s regional target priority list.

Also arrested were alias Domingo, 63, of Barangay Maya, Balasan; alias Carlo, 22, of Barangay Poblacion Norte, Balasan; and alias Connie, 21, of Barangay Ipil, Balasan.

Domingo is Bimboy’s downline and owned the house where the suspects were arrested.

Carlo served as Bimboy’s runner, while Connie is reportedly pregnant with his child.

Members of the IPPO-PDEU Team 3, together with the IPPO Provincial Intelligence Unit and Balasan Municipal Police Station, arrested the suspects after they allegedly sold two sachets of suspected shabu for PHP 26,000.

Operatives further recovered 15 sachets and four knot-tied plastic packs of suspected shabu, along with several non-drug items.

A .38-caliber revolver loaded with ammunition was also seized from Bimboy.

Maj. Dadje Delima, IPPO-PDEU chief, said they confiscated around 2.060 kilograms of suspected shabu with an estimated standard drug price of PHP 14,008,000.

Of the four suspects, only Bimboy had a previous drug-related arrest.

Delima said they had been monitoring his activities since November 2025.

Bimboy rose in the illegal drug trade following the arrest of alias Cheche, 37, of Barangay Poblacion Zone 1, Estancia, on Nov. 15, 2025, at Barangay Aldeguer, Sara.

Cheche, who earned the moniker “Drug Queen of the North,” and her companions yielded around 1.8 kilograms of suspected shabu valued at PHP 12,240,000.

“After Cheche’s arrest, he took over the drug operation in the fifth district of Iloilo. He was the biggest drug distributor in the area,” Delima said.

Aside from Iloilo, Bimboy’s distribution area also reached several towns in Capiz province.

He allegedly sourced his supply from Metro Manila.

The four suspects are now detained and will be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Bimboy will also face charges for violation of Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

Republic Act 9165 carries penalties ranging from life imprisonment to death, depending on the quantity of drugs involved, while Republic Act 10591 penalizes illegal possession of firearms with imprisonment of up to 30 years.