Tokhang surrenderer nabbed with P122K worth of ‘shabu’ in drug sting

By Jennifer P. Rendon

An Oplan Tokhang surrenderer was arrested in a police anti-illegal drug operations evening of September 13, 2021 in Molo, Iloilo City.

Richie Buenavista, 49, a resident of Zone 2, Barangay Tanza Esperanza, City Proper, Iloilo City, was nabbed for allegedly selling a sachet of suspected shabu worth P18,000 to a police poseur buyer.

Members of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 6 (RPDEU-6), together with operatives from the Iloilo City Police Station 4, the Regional Highway Patrol Unit 6 (RHPU-6), and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 6 (CIDG-6)’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Team, led the operation around 11:51 p.m. Monday.

When Buenavista was frisked after his arrest, he yielded a portfolio paper case containing three sachets of suspected shabu, the P18,000 buy bust money, and a Nokia mobile phone.

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Anthony Darroca, RPDEU-6 chief, said that the seized substance was worth P122,400.

Buenavista said that he sells peanuts for a living.

He surrendered under Oplan Tokhang in 2019 and took part in a community-based drug rehabilitation program at the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) headquarters at Camp Martin Delgado, Iloilo City.

Tokhang is the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign that aims to convince suspected drug peddlers and users to surrender and undergo rehabilitation.

Buenavista is now detained and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).