Iloilo’s top ‘drug man’, wife fall in drug sting

By: Jennifer P. Rendon

The alleged No. 1 drug personality in Iloilo province was arrested in a police anti-narcotics operation evening of Dec. 18, 2019 in Sara, Iloilo.

Samuel Roche, 50, was collared along with his wife, Lea, at their house in Barangay Pasig around 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Members of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU) and Sara Police Station arrested the two after Samuel allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu for P20,000.

Police Major Jonathan Pinuela, PDEU chief, said Roche was catapulted to the drug watch list’s top spot after the trail of other big-time drug personalities like Ernesto “Erning” Bolivar went cold.

Police earlier dubbed Bolivar as Western Visayas’ top drug personality following the deaths of Melvin Odicta Sr. and Richard Prevendido.

Pinuela said recent validation submitted by different units led to placing Roche on the top spot after he was monitored to be operating all over Iloilo’s fifth district.

Roche is a rice trader in Iloilo and Negros Occidental.

“When you’re into rice trading, you place the sample of the rice at a transparent ice wrapper. This is where the suspect hid the sachet of shabu,” Pinuela said.

Recovered during the operation were 8 plastic sachets of suspected shabu with street value of P45,000, the P100 marked money, and a caliber .22 revolver.

The couple are now detained and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9166 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) and RA 10591 (Comprehensive Firearm and Ammunition Regulations Act).