Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte — August 6, 2025 — A barangay official and his companion were arrested in a high-impact buy-bust operation that yielded an estimated ₱3.4 million worth of suspected shabu in Kapatagan town on Monday night, August 5.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Misamis Occidental Provincial Office, in coordination with PDEA Lanao del Norte and the Kapatagan Municipal Police Station, launched the operation at the Kapatagan Town Center in Barangay Poblacion.
Arrested were a 41-year-old barangay kagawad identified as alias Nomairie from Barangay Mam-Anon, Salvador town, and his alleged cohort alias Al Haire, 32, a motorcab driver also from Mam-Anon.
Authorities seized approximately 500 grams of suspected shabu packed in four knot-tied transparent plastic sachets. The illegal drugs carry a street value of ₱3,400,000 based on the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) standard valuation.
Also confiscated during the operation were non-drug evidence, including a black-and-white striped plastic bag, a yellow plastic bag, a Vivo Android phone, a motorcycle key, and an unregistered Yamaha Sniper motorcycle. The marked ₱1,000 bill used in the buy-bust was recovered along with several bundles of boodle money.
According to authorities, the suspects were apprehended after selling the illegal drugs to an undercover agent posing as a buyer.
Charges are now being prepared against the suspects for violation of Section 5, Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which penalizes the sale of dangerous drugs with life imprisonment and hefty fines.
PDEA emphasized that the operation is part of its ongoing intensified campaign against illegal drugs, particularly targeting public officials involved in drug activities.