SIAY, Zamboanga Sibugay — A 41-year-old man was arrested and approximately 15 grams of suspected shabu, with an estimated standard value of ₱102,000, were seized during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Siloh, Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay, on the morning of October 25.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Regional Office IX, through its Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Office, conducted the operation at around 10:10 a.m. as part of law enforcement efforts against the illegal drug trade in the province.
The arrested suspect was identified only by the alias “Jumar,” a resident of Barangay Salinding in Siay.
Authorities confiscated five heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu. The seized substance had an estimated total weight of 15 grams and a standard value of ₱102,000, according to the information provided by the agency.
Operatives also recovered the buy-bust money and a coin purse during the operation.
The operation involved the PDEA Regional Office IX–Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Office, in coordination with the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit 9, Regional Intelligence Unit 9, Siay Municipal Police Station, 106th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, Naval Intelligence and Security Group, and the Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit.
The suspect is expected to face charges for alleged violations of Sections 5 and 11 of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Section 5 penalizes the illegal sale, trading, administration, dispensing, delivery, distribution, and transportation of dangerous drugs, while Section 11 covers the illegal possession of dangerous drugs.
The case will proceed through the appropriate legal process, where the allegations against the suspect must be established in court.
Authorities have yet to provide further details on the investigation, including whether the suspect was linked to other alleged drug-related activities in the province.
The suspect’s identity is withheld beyond the alias provided by authorities. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.