Man arrested with PHP 476,000 shabu

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A jobless man was arrested in a police anti-drug operation early Wednesday evening, March 19, in Badiangan, Iloilo.

The suspect, identified only by the alias Eman, 52, of Barangay Iniligan, Badiangan, was collared in a roadside buy-bust operation in nearby Barangay Linayuan.

Members of the Badiangan Municipal Police Station seized about 70 grams of suspected shabu from his possession.

Capt. Jorge Lenantud, chief of police, said the seized drugs had an estimated value of PHP 476,000.

Eman told police operatives that he had been arrested in 2019 in Pavia, Iloilo, for a drug-related offense.

However, he said he was released after the case against him was dismissed.

Police recently received information that he had resumed involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Lenantud said officers conducted surveillance for about a month before Eman’s arrest.

Police said he allegedly sourced the illegal drugs from Iloilo City and distributed them in Badiangan.

Eman is now under the custody of the Badiangan Municipal Police Station.

He will face charges for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Under Republic Act 9165, the sale and possession of illegal drugs are punishable by imprisonment and fines, depending on the quantity and circumstances of the offense.