Police arrested a 36-year-old street-level individual (SLI) and seized over ₱214,000 worth of suspected shabu during a search warrant operation in San Enrique, Negros Occidental, on Sunday morning, July 26.
The suspect, identified by police as alias “Pat,” a jobless man, was apprehended at Purok Bougainvillea, Barangay Tibsoc, around 7:30 a.m. by personnel of the San Enrique Municipal Police Station.
Authorities said they recovered approximately 31.5 grams of suspected shabu from the suspect.
The police said the suspect had been under monitoring since 2022 following intelligence reports linking him to illicit drug activities.
Originally from Bacolod City, the suspect had purchased property in Barangay Tibsoc, where he built a home and used gamefowl breeding, trading, and cockfighting as a cover for his illegal trade, the police said.
The police noted that earlier buy-bust attempts were unsuccessful because the suspect avoided direct hand-to-hand transactions.
This prompted the operating unit to build a case and secure a search warrant from the court.
Aside from four sachets and packages containing suspected shabu, police seized a digital mini-scale, a lighter, scissors, plastic bags, a makeshift plastic straw scooper, a coin purse, and a belt bag containing ₱1,500 in cash.
Officers documented the raid using two Alternative Recording Devices (ARDs) to ensure operational transparency and protocol compliance.
The suspect was informed of his constitutional rights and rights under the Anti-Torture Act before being placed in the custody of the San Enrique Municipal Police Station, where charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) are being prepared.*
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