BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi — Authorities seized approximately 500 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of ₱3.4 million and arrested a 28-year-old man during a joint anti-drug buy-bust operation in Barangay Tubig Tanah, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, on September 30, 2026.
The operation was led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Tawi-Tawi Provincial Office, in coordination with the 4th Marine Rifle Battalion, Bongao Municipal Police Station (MPS), Tawi-Tawi Provincial Police Office (PPO), Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit–Tawi-Tawi Provincial Office (PDEU-TTPO), Coast Guard Intelligence Unit–Western Tawi-Tawi (CGIU-WTT), and the 1st Special Operations Unit of the Maritime Group (1st SOU MG).
The arrested suspect was identified only as alias Ben, 28, a married man. He is currently under the custody of the Bongao Municipal Police Station as authorities proceed with the necessary investigation and legal procedures.
Confiscated during the operation were 10 heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, with a combined estimated weight of approximately 500 grams and a reported value of ₱3.4 million. Authorities also recovered the buy-bust money, an identification card, and one tricycle.
The seizure represents a significant quantity of suspected illegal drugs taken off the streets of Bongao, although the substance’s identity and weight remain subject to the appropriate forensic examination and documentation.
The suspect is expected to face charges for violating Section 5, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which penalizes the illegal sale, trading, administration, dispensing, delivery, distribution, and transportation of dangerous drugs.
The joint operation highlights the continuing coordination among anti-drug agencies, police, military personnel, and maritime security units in addressing suspected illegal drug activities in Tawi-Tawi, a province whose island geography makes cooperation among law enforcement and maritime authorities particularly relevant.
The suspect’s guilt, however, remains to be determined through the judicial process.