Three alleged drug personalities were arrested in separate buy-bust operations in the towns of Piddig, Batac City, and Pasuquin on Tuesday.
In Piddig, operatives of the Piddig Municipal Police Station carried out a buy-bust operation at around 8:50 p.m. in Barangay 5, Mangitayag, which led to the arrest of a 37-year-old farmer from Barangay 6, Tonoton.
The suspect was allegedly caught selling one heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing suspected shabu to a police poseur-buyer.
Police said they recovered from the suspect a total of six heat-sealed plastic sachets containing suspected shabu, weighing about 8.74 grams, with a standard drug price value of ₱59,432.
Also seized were the buy-bust money, additional cash in various denominations and coins, a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, a cellphone, and a red Kawasaki motorcycle reportedly used during the transaction.
The inventory of the seized items was completed at about 11:00 p.m. in the presence of insulating witnesses, as required under RA 9165.
In Batac City, personnel of the Ilocos Norte Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit staged another buy-bust operation at around 11:05 a.m. in Barangay 29, San Pedro, resulting in the arrest of a 43-year-old unemployed resident of the same barangay.
The suspect was allegedly nabbed after selling one heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance believed to be shabu to an undercover police officer.
Authorities reported that they confiscated from the suspect seven additional heat-sealed plastic sachets containing a white crystalline substance, an improvised glass tube with white residue, a brown coin purse, a black-and-red coin purse, a small pouch, along with the marked ₱1,000 buy-bust money and four empty plastic sachets. The markings and inventory of the seized evidence were conducted at the place of transaction in the presence of the suspect and insulating witnesses, in line with the chain-of-custody rules under RA 9165.
In Pasuquin, a separate anti-drug buy-bust operation was conducted at about 9:46 p.m. by the Pasuquin Municipal Police Station in Barangay Poblacion 3, Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte. The operation led to the arrest of a 23-year-old male, single, construction worker and a resident of Barangay 12, Puyupuyan, Pasuquin, after he was allegedly caught in the act of selling one heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, weighing less than one gram.
Confiscated from the Pasuquin suspect were one 100-peso bill, coins amounting to 70 pesos in different denominations, one 1,000-peso bill used as buy-bust money, and one black coin purse containing one 100-peso bill and three heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing a white crystalline substance with an estimated total weight of about one gram. The operation was conducted in the presence of two insulating witnesses.
The arrested suspect was brought to the Rural Health Unit in Pasuquin for medical examination before being turned over to the Pasuquin Municipal Police Station for documentation and proper disposition prior to the filing of appropriate charges.
All three suspects are now facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.