P5.3-M worth of drugs seized in overnight drug ops in Iloilo

By Jennifer P. Rendon

In a span of four hours, police operatives from the city and province of Iloilo conducted three separate anti-illegal operations that netted more than P5.3 million worth of illegal drugs.

It started out with the arrest of a suspected “bodegero” (warehouseman) of shabu in Calinog, Iloilo.

Joemarie Celestial, 30, was arrested in a buy-bust operation at Poblacion Delgado, Calinog, Iloilo around 8:30 p.m. of October 12.

Members of Calinog Municipal Police Station arrested Celestial for allegedly selling a sachet of suspected shabu for P25,000.

Major Myles Dieron, Calinog police chief, said they seized 25 more plastic sachets from the suspect.

The seized drugs weighed around 600 grams and valued at P4,080,000.

Celestial is allegedly holding the drug supplies intended for distribution in Iloilo and Capiz.

Meanwhile, at around 12:20 a.m. of Oct. 13, members of Pavia Police Station arrested suspected street-level pusher Jenel Sullano at Barangay Ungka 1, Pavia.

The 22-year old suspect from Barangay Cabugao Sur, Sta Barbara, Iloilo was yielded with around 10 grams of shabu worth P68,000.

Twenty-five minutes after Sullano’s arrest, members of the Iloilo City Police Office-City Drug Enforcement Unit (ICPO-CDEU) and the Iloilo City Police Station 4, Coast Guard Intelligence Group Western Visayas and Maritime Police Station 6,  nabbed  Jhon Jhon Brillantes alias Gang-Gang and Irish Sadsad y Rendon Bayklang.

The two were arrested after selling a sachet of suspected shabu for P22,000 at Barangay Rizal Pala Pala I, City Proper, Iloilo City.

They subsequently yielded 13 more sachets of suspected shabu.

The seized shabu weighed around 170 grams worth P1,156,000.

Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor, Western Visayas police chief, said that the series of illegal drug operations were a result of the aggressive law enforcement campaign against drug personalities in the region.

With the suspects’ arrest, “marami na naman po ang ating naisalbang buhay. Sa ating pagtutulungan at pagsusumikap na masugpo ang ilegal na droga sa Region 6,” he said.