MANILA — In a significant achievement, the Western Visayas police seized a staggering P40.8 million worth of shabu and apprehended a high-value individual during a buy-bust operation in Janiuay, Iloilo on Sunday.

Capt. Glen Soliman, leading the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 6, identified the arrested suspect as alias “Miklyn,” who was caught in the act of exchanging the illegal substance valued at P26,000.

The arrest unfolded in Sitio Siga2, Brgy. Don T. Lutero East, around 7:33 a.m. During the operation, several sachets and large packs of suspected shabu, totaling more than six kilos with a standard drug price of P40.8 million, were recovered.

While Miklyn was successfully apprehended, his companion, alias “Koi-Koi,” managed to evade arrest. The duo, operating for approximately five months, sourced their supplies from Manila, establishing themselves as significant drug sources in the province and city of Iloilo.

Capt. Soliman disclosed that Koi-Koi had a previous arrest in 2018 but utilized plea bargaining in 2021. Their primary operational focus was the city and province of Iloilo, but there were reports of their drug distribution extending to Bacolod when supplies ran low.

This significant drug bust marks the largest confiscation in Western Visayas for the year, surpassing the P20-million haul in Jaro District on Nov. 9. Additionally, three high-value suspects were apprehended during the operation, contributing to a notable reduction in the supply of illegal drugs in Iloilo. The timing is crucial, especially during the festive month of December and in anticipation of the Dinagyang Festival in late January next year.

(ai/mnm)

Six billion pesos worth of suspected shabu went up in flames at Integrated Waste Management Inc. (IWMI) in Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City on Friday, October 20, 2023.

The incinerated substances included 274 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as shabu, seized from the Manila International Container Port (MICP) on October 6, 2023, and 208 kilograms of Dimethyl Sulfone, a shabu extender, recovered by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Mabalacat, Pampanga on August 25, 2023.

The total weight of the destroyed narcotics amounted to 1,019,204.7581 grams, comprising 471,478.0639 grams of shabu, 312,993.9424 grams of Marijuana, and 208,909.00 grams of Dimethyl Sulfone.

These illicit substances underwent Thermal Decomposition, a process involving exposure to 1,000 degrees Celsius heat.

The disposal of these various drugs adhered to the regulations stipulated in Section 21, Article II of Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 1, Series of 2002.

The burned drugs were originally confiscated during multiple buy-bust operations carried out by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), in collaboration with the Philippine National Police (PNP), NBI, and other law enforcement agencies, and they were no longer required as evidence in court.

The event was attended by representatives from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), local officials from Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City, the PNP, NBI, various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and members of the media.

(BENJIE CUARESMA/ai/mnm)

Photo grab from ABS CBN News

By Junex Doronio

IN LINE WITH THE ANTI-ILLEGAL DRUG CAMPAIGN of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., alert Customs operatives seized an estimated P2.1-billion worth of suspected “shabu” at the Bureau of Customs (BOC)-Manila International Container Port (MICP) in Tondo, Manila on Thursday.

Maharlika NuMedia gathered that around 1,109 pieces of plastic packs that contained a white crystalline substance believed to be shabu were found at the MICP’s Container Freight Station 3.

Initial radio reports said the confiscated suspected drugs came from Mexico.

The suspected illegal substances were discovered inside boxes and individually wrapped in carbon paper and aluminum foil.

Customs insiders said the drug evidence will be turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for laboratory examination soon. (ai/mnm)