Barangay official, farm helper nabbed in Ilocos Norte drug bust

A barangay official and a farm helper were arrested during a buy-bust operation conducted Tuesday afternoon in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, authorities said.

The suspects were identified as Harold John Soriano y Molina, 35, a farm owner and resident of Barangay Utol in Bangui who was tagged by authorities as a High Value Individual (HVI), and Jennifer Agtagma y Valiente, 43, a farm helper at Soriano Game Farm and a resident of Barangay Dadaor, Bangui.

The operation was carried out at around 1:52 p.m. on 3 March 2026 in Barangay Masikil by personnel of the Provincial Police Drug Enforcement Unit (PPDEU), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Bangui Municipal Police Station.

Police said the two suspects were arrested after they were caught selling a heat-sealed plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance believed to be shabu to a police poseur-buyer.

Authorities seized about 55 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of ₱374,000. The illegal drugs were contained in five heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets.

Also recovered during the operation was an improvised glass tube with suspected shabu residue.

Police also confiscated a genuine ₱1,000 bill and 17 fake ₱1,000 bills used as buy-bust money, along with two cellular phones — a Vivo phone from Soriano and a Realme phone from Agtagma.

Authorities said the operation was documented using body-worn cameras. The marking and inventory of evidence were conducted at the place of arrest in the presence of the suspects and required witnesses, in accordance with procedures under Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The suspects are currently under police custody and will face charges for violating the country’s anti-illegal drugs law.