Tricycle driver arrested in PHP 1.2 million drug sting

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A tricycle driver was arrested in an anti-illegal drug operation in Pototan, Iloilo, late afternoon April 25.

Police identified the suspect only as alias Negro, 33, of New Site, Barangay Naslo, Pototan.

Members of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, together with the IPPO Provincial Intelligence Unit and Pototan Municipal Police Station, arrested the suspect in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Naslo.

Police said the suspect allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu to a police poseur-buyer.

The suspect also allegedly yielded four more sachets of suspected shabu and several non-drug items.

Maj. Dadje Delima, IPPO-PDEU chief, said the seized drugs weighed about 180 grams and had an estimated value of PHP 1,224,000.

Delima said the operation stemmed from information provided by concerned residents in the area.

The IPPO-PDEU validated the report for almost two weeks and confirmed the suspect’s alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Police said the suspect allegedly sourced the drugs from Iloilo City and distributed them in Pototan and nearby areas.

The suspect is detained and will face charges for violation of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.