The Catanduanes police seized 10 grams of suspected shabu worth P68,000.00 from a Virac barangay treasurer and a known drug personality in a buy-bust operation last week.
The official police report on the Aug. 17, 2026 anti-illegal drug operation that went down in sitio Mamangal, barangay Balite, identified the barangay official as “Boy,” 42, a resident of Concepcion, and his companion as “Bhe,” 42, from Cavinitan.
The duo allegedly yielded 18 sachets of methamphetamine hydrochloride, including the sachet sold to an undercover police officer, in the subsequent search of their persons conducted by elements of the Catanduanes Provincial Intelligence Unit led by PLt. Col. Chester P. Pomar, together with personnel of the Virac Municipal Police Station, Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 5 (RPDEU5), and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Catanduanes.
Two of the sachets were found in the targets’ possession while the other 15 were discovered inside a black plastic reading glass case.
Also confiscated as evidence were other drug items such as an improvised aluminum tooter, 21 pieces of folded aluminum foil, a bamboo stick and an improvised aluminum lighter extender, as well as non-drug items including a black sling bag, the reading glass case, a Redmi A5 cell phone, a blue Honda Click 125 scooter (290EXB), a genuine 500-peso bill and nine counterfeit 500-peso bills used in the operation.
The operating team used two units of Body-Worn Cameras during the operation in compliance with a Supreme Court resolution while the inventory and marking of the evidence was done on site in the presence of designated representatives from the Department of Justice and the barangay council.
Upon verification through the Crime Information Reporting and Analysis System (CIRAS), the police learned that “Boy,” considered as a High-Value Individual (HVI) has two (2) previous records for violation of the Anti-Gambling Law and the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug act of 2002.
On the other hand, his companion was also in the system in connection with two separate violations of Republic Act 9165 for possession and sale of dangerous drugs.
They will be charged with violation of Sections 5 and 11 of RA 9165 for the sale and possession of dangerous drugs.
A check of Tribune files shows that the woman, Maria Salve Ferrer Gonzales, was sentenced by the Regional Trial Court in 2022 for possession of 15 grams of shabu during a police raid a year earlier.
The accused, a single mother, was also told to pay a fine of P400,000.00.
On Sept. 28, 2021, then Virac police chief Maj. Antonio Perez implemented a search warrant against Ferrer at her house in Palta Small and confiscated nine (9) sachets of shabu with a total weight of 14.926 grams and street value of P101,510.40.
Last year, on Dec. 28, Gonzales was arrested along with then live-in partner “Lem,” 37, in a buy-bust operation in F. Tacorda Village.
Her companion then, identified by a source as one Rommel Sanchez, who had been apprehended in a similar operation in September 2022 in Constantino that led to the seizure of seven (7) sachets of suspected shabu.
The suspect, then a maintenance man, was alleged to be a member of the Sorreda gang involved in robbery, theft, gun running and illegal drugs.
On the other hand, residents of Concepcion confirmed that Gonzales’ companion, Julian Estacio Gianan Jr., holds office as barangay treasurer.