2 government workers nabbed in Iloilo, Cagayan stings

MANILA, Philippines — Two government employees were arrested in separate anti-narcotics operations in Iloilo and Cagayan on Wednesday.

The sting in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo resulted in the seizure of shabu with an estimated street value of P7.78 million.

The volume of illegal substance, seized from a truck driver employed by the provincial capitol, is considered as the largest drug haul in Western Visayas so far this year.

Police said the suspect was collared after he sold shabu worth P13,500 to an undercover agent in Barangay Camambugan.

Members of the arresting team seized 16 more plastic sachets and two packages containing suspected shabu and non-drug items from the suspect, according to Maj. Dadje Delima, chief of the Iloilo police drug enforcement unit.

Delima said the suspect has no prior drug-related arrest, but he was on the drug list of the police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

He said the suspect had been placed under surveillance for almost two years.

Meanwhile, in Cagayan, a male nurse was arrested in a sting conducted at a state-run hospital in Tuguegarao.

The suspect reportedly sold an undetermined amount of shabu to an undercover agent of the PDEA.

Several plastic sachets believed to contain shabu with an estimated combined value of P34,000 were seized from the suspect.

Charges for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against both suspects, the PDEA said.  – Artemio Dumlao, Victor Martin