ILIGAN CITY / MISAMIS ORIENTAL — Police Regional Office 10 (PRO-10) dealt a significant blow to the illegal drug trade after arresting two High-Value Individuals (HVIs) and seizing suspected shabu worth nearly ₱1.5 million in separate buy-bust operations conducted on January 14 and 15, 2026.
On January 14, operatives of the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU), in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 10 (PDEA-10) Lanao del Norte Provincial Office, carried out a buy-bust operation in Barangay Saray, Iligan City. The operation led to the arrest of a 22-year-old suspect known by the alias “Pani,” an undergraduate student and first-time offender. Authorities recovered from his possession five heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets of varying sizes containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, weighing approximately 50 grams, with an estimated standard drug price of ₱340,000. Also confiscated were three ₱300 bills used as buy-bust money.
The following day, January 15, a joint buy-bust operation was conducted by personnel of the Tagoloan Municipal Police Station Drug Enforcement Unit and other operating units of the Misamis Oriental Provincial Police Office in Barangay Sugbongcogon, Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. The operation resulted in the arrest of a 43-year-old suspect identified as alias “Loloy,” a resident of the area and listed among the Top 5 PDEA/PNP municipal-level drug personalities and classified as a High-Value Individual. Police said the suspect allegedly turned to illegal drug activities as his main source of income after being removed from his job. Seized from him were 18 heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets of suspected shabu weighing around 170 grams with an estimated street value of ₱1,156,000, along with a plastic container, a sling bag, and one ₱500 bill used as marked money.
Both suspects were brought to their respective police stations and are facing charges for violations of Sections 5 and 11, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. All confiscated suspected drug items were forwarded to the Regional Forensic Unit 10 for qualitative and quantitative examination.
PRO-10 Regional Director PBGen. Christopher N. Abrahano commended the operating units for their successful, intelligence-driven operations, emphasizing the continued commitment of the police force to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs and dismantle drug networks in Northern Mindanao.