PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — Police operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in this city detained Friday a man who allegedly engaged in the unauthorized selling of pharmaceutical products.

Police Major Joseph Severino said the suspect, Ricky Parangue, 52, was nabbed on 17 November at his residence in Barangay Bancao-Bancao following a buy-bust operation conducted by his personnel.

Seized from the suspect were P500 marked money used as buy-bust funds and a variety of pharmaceutical products worth P25,000.

"The pharmaceutical products are stored at his home, which is prohibited without the proper documentation," Severino said.

Severino said all the medical products being sold were legal, but stressed that he is not authorized to sell them.

The CIDG chief in Palawan added that the suspect is primarily selling from his home and distributes the pharmaceutical products across the province, with deliveries extending as far as Roxas in the north and Buliluyan in the south.

Further investigation revealed that Parangue buys medicines from multiple pharmacies offering lower prices, contradicting his claim of owning a pharmaceutical company franchise.

"He claims to have a franchise with a pharmaceutical company for antibiotics, but he purchases over-the-counter drugs like paracetamol and Neozep from local drugstores where he can get them at a lower cost," according to Severino.

Severino said Parangue will be charged with violating Section 30 of Republic Act 10918, also known as the Philippine Pharmacy Act. He is currently in police custody pending proper disposition.