A 37-year-old tricycle driver was arrested during a buy-bust operation conducted by the Sarrat Municipal Police Station, with assistance from the Ilocos Norte Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit and in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), in Barangay 7, San Manuel, Sarrat, Ilocos Norte on Saturday afternoon, 30 May.
The suspect, identified as Froilan Pagar, a resident of Barangay 6, San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, was apprehended at around 4:30 p.m. after allegedly selling suspected shabu to an undercover police operative.
Authorities said the suspect was caught in the act of selling one heat-sealed plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance believed to be shabu weighing approximately 0.08 gram, with an estimated standard drug price of P5,440.
A subsequent search of the suspect resulted in the recovery of three additional sachets containing suspected shabu with a combined estimated weight of 2.4 grams and an estimated value of P16,320.
Police also searched the suspect’s tricycle and recovered three more sachets of suspected shabu concealed behind the passenger seat. The additional sachets likewise had a combined estimated weight of 2.4 grams and an estimated value of P16,320.
Also seized during the operation were a marked P1,000 bill used as buy-bust money, a blue-and-black sling bag, a black coin purse, an iPhone 11 Pro, a black wallet containing P2,807 in cash, and a Honda TMX 155 motorcycle with sidecar.
The suspect was informed of his constitutional rights following his arrest. An inventory of the seized items was conducted at the scene in the presence of the suspect and required witnesses, while authorities observed proper chain-of-custody procedures.
After the inventory, the suspect was taken to Dingras District Hospital for medical and physical examination before being brought to the Sarrat Municipal Police Station for documentation and the filing of appropriate charges.
The seized substances will be submitted for laboratory examination as authorities prepare charges for violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
