Four caught in P1-M Guimbal drug bust

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Four individuals, including two who had previously surrendered under the ‘Tokhang’ initiative, were arrested in a police anti-narcotics operation in the late afternoon of April 6 in Guimbal, Iloilo.

The suspects, identified as Kirk John Genovea, 34; his uncle George Gargantos, 54; Rynnhard Peñaflor, 29; and Rodulfo Benetua III, 22, were caught after selling a sachet of suspected shabu for P20,000.

Members of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office – Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU), along with the Guimbal Municipal Police Station, conducted the arrest and subsequently seized 11 more sachets and a pack of suspected shabu, various drug paraphernalia, two mobile phones, and two pouches.

The confiscated drugs weighed approximately 150 grams and had a standard drug price of P1,020,000.

Major Rolando Araño, IPPO spokesperson, stated that the buy-bust operation targeting Genovea was the culmination of three months of surveillance.

Both Genovea and Gargantos, listed as persons who used drugs (PWUDs), are known to have surrendered under the ‘Tokhang’ anti-drug campaign. During the operation, police also caught the suspects engaged in a pot session.

The suspects are now in custody and face charges under Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.