ZAMBOANGA CITY — Police scored another major victory in the fight against illegal drugs following the arrest of a newly identified high-value individual and the seizure of suspected shabu worth ₱1.7 million during a coordinated buy-bust operation in Barangay Talon-Talon.
The operation was carried out at around 10:05 a.m. on January 26, 2026, along Paragas Drive, leading to the arrest of a 50-year-old male, a resident of the same barangay.
The suspect was apprehended by operatives of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit in close coordination with multiple law enforcement and security units, including the City Drug Enforcement Unit of the Zamboanga City Police Office, Naval Intelligence and Security Group – Western Mindanao, PNP Drug Enforcement Group – Special Operations Unit 9, the First Special Operations Unit of the Maritime Group, the Command, Control, and Coordination Center of the Philippine Air Force, Zamboanga City Police Station 12, and the Zamboanga City Maritime Police Station.
Authorities confiscated five heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing white crystalline substances suspected to be shabu, identified as buy-bust items. The seized drugs weighed approximately 250 grams and carry an estimated standard drug price of ₱1,700,000.
Police said the confiscated evidence will be submitted to the Regional Forensic Unit for laboratory examination, while the suspect was taken to the Zamboanga City Police Office detention facility for proper disposition.
Criminal charges for violation of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are now being prepared against the suspect.
Police emphasized that the successful operation underscores intensified inter-agency coordination and their sustained commitment to dismantling drug networks, particularly those involving high-value targets that threaten community safety and public order.