Senior citizen arrested in PHP1.08M drug sting

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By Jennifer P. Rendon

A 61-year-old man with previous drug-related cases was arrested in a buy-bust operation late Feb. 10 at his home in Barangay McArthur, La Paz, Iloilo City.

Police identified the suspect as “Norman.”

Members of Iloilo City Police Station 2, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, arrested the suspect after he allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu to a police poseur-buyer.

Authorities recovered 10 more sachets of suspected shabu and a homemade 12-gauge pistol-type shotgun with ammunition from his possession.

Capt. Gimel Acuesta, chief of Iloilo City Police Station 2, said the seized drugs weighed about 160 grams with an estimated standard drug price of PHP 1,088,000.

Police records showed the suspect had two previous drug-related arrests.

He was previously charged with violating Republic Act 6425, or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, and was later placed on probation.

In 2016, he was arrested for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, but was acquitted in December 2019.

The suspect also admitted involvement in a murder case but did not provide further details.

Acuesta said the suspect had been under police monitoring following reports of his alleged drug activities.

He said authorities conducted three weeks of surveillance before launching the operation.

Acuesta said the suspect allegedly sourced his illegal drugs from Luzon and had a distributor in Iloilo City when his supply ran out.

The suspect is detained and will face charges for violating Republic Act 9165 and Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.