GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Police operatives seized approximately nine kilograms of suspected marijuana valued at more than ₱1 million and arrested a 21-year-old man identified as a high-value individual (HVI) during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Dadiangas West, General Santos City, on the evening of October 16, 2026.
The Police Regional Office 12 (PRO 12) reported that the operation was conducted at around 8:42 p.m. in the Silway Darimco area by personnel of the Station Drug Enforcement Team (SDET) of Police Station 1, under the General Santos City Police Office (GSCPO), in coordination with the City Intelligence Unit.
The arrested suspect, identified in the police reports by the aliases “Mels” and “Omel,” is 21 years old, single, and a resident of Barangay Fatima, General Santos City. Authorities classified him as a high-value individual in connection with the anti-illegal drugs operation.
During the operation, police recovered a medium-sized, vacuum-sealed plastic sachet containing dried leaves and stalks of suspected marijuana, which served as the alleged buy-bust item. Authorities also seized eight large, rectangular, brick-shaped packages and 60 additional medium-sized, vacuum-sealed plastic sachets containing suspected marijuana.
The confiscated substances totaled approximately nine kilograms in gross weight. The reported estimated value varied between ₱1,016,000 and ₱1,050,000, depending on the valuation cited in the police accounts.
Operatives also recovered the ₱1,000 bill used as buy-bust money, along with other personal belongings. The seized marijuana packages and sachets were secured as evidence for the investigation and the preparation of criminal complaints.
Police said the seized items were marked and inventoried at the scene in the presence of the suspect, an elected official of Barangay Dadiangas West, and a media representative from DXRG Infinite Radio. Authorities also informed the suspect of his constitutional rights following his arrest.
The confiscated items were subsequently brought to Police Station 1 for documentation, pending their turnover to the forensic unit for laboratory examination to establish their contents.
Authorities are preparing complaints against the suspect for alleged violations of Sections 5 and 11, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Section 5 covers the unlawful sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution, and transportation of dangerous drugs, while Section 11 penalizes the unlawful possession of dangerous drugs.
The case remains subject to the required legal proceedings and laboratory examination of the seized substances.
PBGEN Alan B. Manibog, regional director of PRO 12, underscored the regional police force’s continuing campaign against illegal drugs. The operation forms part of law enforcement efforts to intercept suspected drug supplies and hold individuals allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade accountable under the law.
Police have yet to establish through laboratory examination the final identity and composition of the confiscated substances. The suspect is presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law.