Iloilo police nets P476K worth  of shabu in Dumangas buybust

By Jennifer P. Rendon 

A laborer was arrested following a police anti-illegal drug operation morning of August 19, 2022 in Dumangas, Iloilo.

Police identified the suspect as Dindo Salonga, 42, a resident of Zone 12, Barangay Calaparan Arevalo, Iloilo.

Members of Dumangas Municipal Police Station, together with operatives from the Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU), collared Salonga for allegedly selling a sachet of suspected shabu for P6,500.

Salonga agreed to meet with the poseur buyer around 3:12 a.m. Friday at Barangay Tabucan, Dumangas.

When frisked, the suspect yielded nine sachets containing suspected shabu, the marked money, and other non-drug items.

Senior Master Sergeant Kim John Banzon, Dumangas PNP chief investigator, said the seized substance weighed 70 grams and was valued at P476,000.

Banzon said Salonga has been classified as a high-value individual (HVI) because of the volume of illegal drugs that he allegedly disposes of.

His name was included in Dumangas PNP’s watchlist after an informant tipped the police that he was trading illegal drugs in the area.

Salonga is now detained and will be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).