FOUR suspected drug personalities were arrested while three others escaped after the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Ippo) seized around 230 grams of shabu valued at P1.56 million during a buy-bust in Purok Paghidaet, Barangay Poblacion Zone 2, Estancia, Iloilo, around 7:45 p.m. on September 1, 2026.
Police Colonel Bayani Razalan, Ippo director, commended the operating personnel and stressed the importance of sustained intelligence gathering and coordination with stakeholders to address the illegal drug trade.
“We remain committed to a sustained and intelligence-driven campaign against illegal drugs across the province through intensified information gathering, thorough validation, and close coordination and collaboration with other law enforcement agencies and the community,” Razalan said.
The operation, led by Police Major Dadje Delima, chief of the Ippo Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU), resulted in the arrest of alias "Panggoy," 36, a high-value individual (HVI), unemployed and a resident of Barangay Daan Banwa, Estancia.
Also arrested were alias "Maymay," 39, an HVI, a resident of Zone 2; alias "Toto," 20, a street-level individual (SLI) and a resident of Zone 1; and alias "Toytoy," of legal age, an SLI, a resident of Barangay Pa-on. All four suspects are residents of Estancia.
The four arrested suspects were placed under the custody of the Estancia Municipal Police Station (MPS) pending the filing of charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Three other suspects managed to evade arrest and remain at large. Police said the fleeing suspects will also face charges under RA 9165. (Leo Solinap)