Woman arrested in Laoag City bust; P44,880 worth of suspected shabu seized

A 45-year-old woman was arrested during a buy-bust operation conducted by joint law enforcement units in Barangay 10, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, late Monday night, 15 June.

Police identified the suspect as Lourellei Albano Fernandez, a married resident of Barangay 4, Laoag City, who is listed as a Street-Level Individual (SLI) in anti-drug monitoring records.

According to police reports, the operation was carried out at around 10:48 p.m. by personnel of the Laoag City Police Station, serving as the lead unit, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Regional Office 1 and several police and military support units.

Authorities confiscated approximately 6.6 grams of suspected shabu, including packaging materials, with an estimated street value of P44,880.

Also recovered from the suspect were a black sling bag; one genuine P1,000 bill and two pieces of P1,000 boodle money used as buy-bust money; a folded yellow-green paper; three disposable red lighters; a white cellular phone with a brown transparent casing; a power bank; and other personal belongings.

The operation involved personnel from the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) of the Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office (INPPO), Provincial Intelligence Unit (PIU) INPPO, Regional Intelligence Division (RID) PRO1, Regional Intelligence Unit (RIU) PRO1, Regional Drug Enforcement Unit 1 (RDEU 1), PDEA Ilocos Norte Provincial Office, the 101st Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 1 (RMFB1), and other supporting units.

Authorities are preparing charges against Fernandez for alleged violations of Sections 5 and 11, Article II of Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. These provisions cover the illegal sale and possession of dangerous drugs.