A man who surrendered to the police during the Oplan Tokhang anti-illegal drug campaign in 2016 was arrested last Sunday evening in a buy-bust operation in Bato town.
Joint elements of the Bato police station, the Catanduanes Provincial Intelligence Unit (CATPIU) and the Provincial Police Drug Enforcement Unit (PPDEU) arrested the suspect, identified only as “Jigs” in the report, for selling suspected shabu to a police officer masquerading as a buyer at 8:16 PM of Sept. 8, 2024 in barangay Sipi.
A source told the Tribune that the suspect, known as one Jigger Gonzales, married and a jobless resident of the town, previously used only drugs but was allegedly forced to sell them due to financial difficulties.
The police recovered from his possession three plastic sachets containing white crystalline granules believed to be methamphetamine hydrochloride, the buy-bust money, other non-drug items, and the motorcycle he was using.
Bato police authorities are now preparing appropriate criminal charges against Gonzales for violation of the provisions of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The police expressed its gratitude to the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs) of the town for promptly reporting the suspect’s activities to the police in support of the “Buhay Ingatan Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA)” program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).