A driver was arrested after police seized 64.27 grams of suspected shabu valued at about ₱437,036 in a buy-bust operation in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte.
The operation was conducted on September 21 in Barangay Tubod, where police identified the suspect as alias “Mar,” a resident of the area.
Police Brigadier General Nestor Babagay Jr., director of the Police Regional Office-Northern Mindanao, said the suspected shabu was packed in nine heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets. Authorities also recovered a rubber pencil case, a weighing scale, ₱300 in marked buy-bust money and other suspected drug paraphernalia.
After his arrest, Mar was brought to Police Station 4 of the Iligan City Police Office for documentation and temporary detention.
Police said the suspect had allegedly been arrested twice previously for drug-related offenses, making the latest operation his third arrest.
Investigators also alleged that Mar sourced the suspected illegal drugs from Marawi City and distributed them in Iligan City. Police said information indicated that he may also have been supplying drugs while traveling to Cagayan de Oro City. These allegations will be subject to the legal process.
The operation was carried out by personnel from the Iligan City Police Office City Drug Enforcement Unit, the Iligan City Mobile Force Company, other ICPO personnel and an intelligence operative from Police Station 4.
Authorities said charges for alleged violations of Sections 5 and 11 of Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, will be filed against the suspect.
The arrest highlights continuing police operations against alleged drug distribution in Northern Mindanao, particularly efforts targeting individuals suspected of supplying drugs across multiple cities.
The case will now proceed through the appropriate legal process, where prosecutors and the courts will determine the allegations and the suspect’s criminal liability.
