Mason arrested in Iloilo with PHP 1 million shabu

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A construction worker was arrested in a police anti-drug operation early on Jan. 28 in Barangay Ticud, La Paz, Iloilo City.

The suspect, identified by the alias “Erp,” 49, a mason from Bo. Obrero, Lapuz, was caught during a buy-bust operation around 1 a.m.

Members of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU) 6 arrested the suspect after he sold a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP 12,000 to an undercover officer.

Police also recovered 11 additional sachets and a knot-tied plastic bag containing more suspected shabu.

Maj. Marvin Villanueva, deputy chief of RPDEU-6, said the seized drugs weighed about 160 grams, with a standard drug price of PHP 1,088,000.

He said police spent about a month conducting surveillance before cornering the suspect.

Erp allegedly sourced his supply from a shabu distributor in Iloilo City and sold it to buyers in the La Paz and Lapuz districts.

He had no previous drug-related arrests and said he was not included in the Oplan Tokhang watchlist.

However, he admitted to drug peddling, claiming he earned about PHP 200 per transaction.

The suspect is now in police custody and will face charges for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

On Jan. 22, another construction worker, alias “Dodoy,” 45, of Barangay San Antonio, Molo, Iloilo City, was arrested and found in possession of approximately 515 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP 3,502,000.