Authorities arrested a 34-year-old woman and confiscated nearly half a million pesos worth of suspected shabu during a joint anti-illegal drug operation in Purok 13, Poblacion, Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte on May 23, 2026.
The suspect, identified only by her alias “Lilith,” a jobless resident of Purok 14, Poblacion, was apprehended at around 2:10 p.m. during a buy-bust operation led by the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 10 (RPDEU-10), in coordination with the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit of the Lanao del Norte Police Provincial Office (PDEU-LDNPPO), the 1005th Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 10 (RMFB-10), and the Kapatagan Municipal Police Station.
According to police reports, the suspect had allegedly been involved in illegal drug activities since 2025 and was reportedly operating within Kapatagan and nearby barangays as a source of livelihood.
Recovered from the suspect were multiple heat-sealed sachets containing approximately 70 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of PhP476,000. Authorities also confiscated several drug paraphernalia containers, a sling bag, wallets, assorted cash, and the marked buy-bust money consisting of one PhP1,000 bill.
Police said the marking and inventory of the seized evidence were conducted at the site of the operation in accordance with standard operating procedures. The confiscated items were later turned over to the Lanao del Norte Provincial Forensic Unit for qualitative and quantitative examination.
The suspect is currently under the custody of the Kapatagan Municipal Police Station for proper disposition while criminal charges are being prepared against her for alleged violation of Sections 5 and 11, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Brigadier General Christopher N. Abrahano, Regional Director of Police Regional Office-10, commended the operating units for the successful operation and reiterated the police force’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs.
Abrahano noted that the arrest highlights the continuing social and economic factors linked to illegal drug activities, particularly among individuals who reportedly resort to the illegal trade due to unstable sources of income.
The operation forms part of the continuing anti-illegal drug campaign of the Philippine National Police aimed at dismantling local drug networks and curbing the proliferation of illegal substances in communities across Northern Mindanao.