Police arrested a 37-year-old man in Laoag City on Christmas Day after he was allegedly found with an unlicensed revolver and suspected illegal drugs while playing chess at a local business.

The suspect — identified as Jeffrey Mateo Colcol — was taken into custody around 4:55 p.m. Wednesday at a sari-sari store and billiards hall along M.H. Del Pilar Street in Barangay 16. Officers responded to the scene after a citizen reported seeing an armed man at the establishment.

Responding officers said they observed a firearm tucked into the suspect’s waistband in plain view. According to investigators, Colcol was unable to provide a license or permit for the weapon.

Police seized a .38-caliber revolver loaded with four rounds of live ammunition. During a subsequent search, authorities said they recovered a coin purse containing five sachets of suspected shabu. The drugs weighed approximately 2.3 grams and have an estimated street value of P15,640.

Police also confiscated P1,721 in cash and a mobile phone.

Colcol had previously been arrested on drug-related charges in 2017 and was released from custody in July 2025, according to police records.

The suspect faces charges of violating the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. He was taken to a local hospital for a medical examination before being held for documentation.