Surigao City — Authorities seized more than ₱400,000 worth of suspected shabu and arrested two alleged drug personalities in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Taft, Surigao City, on Thursday afternoon, August 28, 2025.
The operation, conducted at around 1:40 p.m. along Nueva Street, Purok Zennia, was led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Regional Office 13 (PDEA RO-13) Surigao del Norte Provincial Office in close coordination with the Provincial Intelligence Unit and the Surigao City Police Station.
Acting on information provided by a concerned citizen, anti-narcotics operatives were able to track the movements of two identified high-value targets (HVTs), leading to their arrest.
Confiscated during the sting were about 55 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of ₱400,000. Authorities detailed the haul as one heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet weighing one gram, five more sachets with a combined weight of around 50 grams, and another sachet containing drug residue.
Also recovered were marked money used in the operation, two mobile phones believed to contain records of illegal transactions, and several drug paraphernalia.
The suspects are now facing charges for violation of Sections 5 (sale of dangerous drugs) and 11 (possession of dangerous drugs), Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
PDEA RO-13 underscored that the success of the operation highlights both the importance of community involvement and the strengthened coordination among law enforcement agencies in Surigao del Norte in curbing the proliferation of illegal drugs.