Four arrested, PHP 1.7 million shabu seized in Estancia

ILOILO CITY — Four persons, including a former barangay councilor, were arrested in another anti-illegal drug operation on the afternoon of Oct. 20, 2026, in Estancia, Iloilo, that yielded PHP 1.7 million worth of suspected shabu.

Police identified the primary suspect as alias “Rene,” a former barangay kagawad of Barangay Zone 1, Estancia.

Also arrested were his alleged cohorts, alias “Wilson,” 46, of Poblacion, Ajuy, Iloilo; alias “Charlotte,” 52, of Barangay Sto. Domingo, Barotac Viejo, Iloilo; and alias “Gerard,” 43, of Barangay Bolaqueña, Estancia.

Members of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU), together with personnel from the Regional Intelligence Unit 6 and Estancia Municipal Police Station, seized approximately 250 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated value of PHP 1.7 million.

Police Maj. Dadje Delima, IPPO-PDEU chief, said Rene became a target of the operation after he was identified as an alleged supplier of illegal drugs distributed during the celebration of Estancia’s municipal fiesta.

Rene also allegedly supplied illegal drugs to the neighboring towns of Balasan, Carles, Batad and Sara in northern Iloilo.

Delima said police were verifying information that Rene obtained his drug supply from another drug personality incarcerated at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila.

The latest seizure followed another major anti-drug operation in Estancia on Sept. 29, when police arrested eight suspects and confiscated approximately 495 grams of suspected shabu valued at PHP 3,366,000.

The suspects are detained and will face charges for violating Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The law penalizes the unauthorized sale, distribution, transportation and possession of dangerous drugs, including methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as shabu.