Anti-drug operatives seized at least 3 kg. of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of PHP20.4 million during an operation in Barangay Camalig in this city's Jaro district on Thursday night. The operation, led by the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU) of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 (Western Visayas), also resulted in the arrest of three high-value individuals. They were identified only by their aliases as couple 'Shanon' and 'Anne' and their alleged helper 'Rose Anne' so as not to jeopardize follow-up operations. A buy-bust was conducted past 8 p.m. at Dolmax Subdivision, according to Police Capt. Glenn Soliman, RPDEU head, after an extensive case buildup. He said a poseur buyer initially bought a sachet of shabu worth PHP14,000, which led to the discovery of 17 more sachets of the illegal drug, 10 transparent bags containing the substance, and other non-drug items from the suspects. 'Shanon has a record of arrest for violation of Republic Act 9165 and robbery. We consider them a big shabu warehouse in Iloilo City and province,' Soliman said, adding that Shanon has long been a target but it took them a while to transact because of his on-and-off operations. The seized volume of illegal drugs, he said, is enough to supply the city and province of Iloilo. 'He received big volumes, and he has designated regular customers. It was timely that he has newly arrived stocks,' he added. The police are validating information that Shannon sourced his supplies from Manila and shipped them through trucking services. The suspects are in the custody of the Iloilo City Police Office Station 3 pending the filing of cases for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Brig. Gen. Sidney N. Villafor, PRO-6 director, commended all units involved in the high-impact accomplishment. In a statement on Friday, the region's top cop said a lot of lives are saved with the confiscation of the volume of illegal drugs.
Source: Philippines News Agency