CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — Police arrested a 34-year-old man identified as a high-value individual (HVI) in an anti-drug buy-bust operation in Barangay Indahag on Wednesday afternoon, October 28, and seized approximately 330 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated standard drug price of ₱2.244 million.
The operation was conducted at around 3 p.m. by the City Drug Enforcement Unit of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (CDEU-COCPO), in coordination with the City Mobile Force Company (CMFC).
The suspect, identified only by the alias “JR,” is married and a resident of Barangay Canitoan, Cagayan de Oro City. Police have not released his full identity.
Eleven sachets of suspected shabu confiscated
Authorities reported that operatives seized 11 sachets containing suspected shabu, with a combined weight of approximately 330 grams, during the operation.
The confiscated items also included a black pouch, a cigarette box, an Android mobile phone, a motorcycle, and a ₱1,000 bill used as buy-bust money.
Police placed the estimated standard drug price of the seized substance at ₱2,244,000. The amount represents the authorities’ valuation of the suspected illegal drugs and does not, by itself, establish the substance’s laboratory-confirmed identity or purity.
The suspect is currently under the custody of CDEU-COCPO for proper disposition.
Drug charges to be filed
Police said a case for alleged violations of Sections 5 and 11, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, will be filed against the suspect.
Section 5 penalizes the unauthorized sale, trading, administration, dispensing, delivery, distribution, and transportation of dangerous drugs, while Section 11 covers the unlawful possession of dangerous drugs.
The planned charges stem from the alleged drug transaction and the suspected illegal drugs recovered during the operation. The suspect’s criminal liability remains subject to the filing and prosecution of the case and the determination of the courts.
PRO-10 chief calls for sustained anti-drug operations
Police Regional Office 10 Regional Director PBGen Nestor C. Babagay Jr. commended the operating units and emphasized the importance of intelligence-driven enforcement efforts against the illegal drug trade.
“I commend the CDEU-COCPO for this successful anti-drug operation. We will sustain our intelligence-driven operations and ensure that those involved in the illegal drug trade are held accountable under the law,” Babagay said.
He also urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspected illegal drug activities to authorities, stressing that cooperation between law enforcement and communities is important in efforts to curb the drug trade in Northern Mindanao.
The operation forms part of the Focused Agenda of the Chief of the Philippine National Police, under the campaign framework “Bagong PNP para sa Bagong Pilipinas: Serbisyong Mabilis, Tapat, at Nararamdaman.”
The police have yet to provide further details on the suspect’s alleged role in the illegal drug trade or whether the operation is connected to other ongoing investigations.