Trike Driver Caught in Drug Bust; Gun Seized

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A tricycle driver was arrested in an anti-illegal drugs operation on the morning of March 11 in Dingle, Iloilo.

The suspect, alias Ronel, 43, was apprehended in Barangay Camambugan, just a few meters from his home.

Members of the Dingle Municipal Police Station and Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU) Team 2 caught the suspect after he allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu.

Upon frisking him, police recovered three more sachets of suspected shabu and several non-drug items.

Authorities also seized a caliber .38 revolver loaded with three rounds of ammunition from his possession.

Captain Alwin Salmon, Dingle police chief, said the confiscated drugs weighed around 60 grams with an estimated street value of PHP408,000.

Salmon confirmed that the suspect is a convicted drug personality.

He was first arrested in 2018 but was later released through a plea bargaining agreement.

Police have been monitoring him for several months, suspecting his return to the illegal drug trade.

Authorities are still investigating the suspect’s drug supply source, Salmon added.

Ronel will face charges for violating Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) and Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act), in relation to the election gun ban.