Police seized about 1.15 kilograms of suspected shabu, valued at ₱7.82 million, in a buy-bust operation in Dumaguete City on Friday morning, Oct. 2.
At a glance
- When: Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, about 11:19 a.m.
- Where: Purok Santol, Barangay Balugo, Dumaguete City
- Seized: about 1.15 kilograms of suspected shabu, valued at ₱7.82 million
- Arrested: alias “John,” 35, of Barangay Batinguel, tagged a high-value individual
- Units: Dumaguete City Police Station City Drug Enforcement Unit, with PDEA
The operation was carried out at about 11:19 a.m. in Purok Santol, Barangay Balugo, by the Dumaguete City Police Station’s City Drug Enforcement Unit, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Arrested was a 35-year-old single man from Barangay Batinguel, identified by police only by the alias “John.” Police tagged him as a high-value individual.
How the operation started
According to the Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), the operation was based on a tip from a confidential informant that the suspect was distributing illegal drugs in several barangays of Dumaguete. Police said the suspect allegedly sourced the drugs from Cebu.
Besides the 1.15 kilograms, police recovered the buy-bust money, personal belongings and more sachets of suspected shabu when they searched the suspect after his arrest.
PRO-NIR Director Brig. Gen. Rudecindo Reales said anti-drug operations should be based on validated information and carried out in accordance with legal procedures.
Under the law, the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Why this matters
Police said the suspect was supplying several barangays in the city and was getting his supply from Cebu, which puts the arrest at the distribution level rather than street-level selling.
“Operations should be based on validated information and carried out in accordance with legal procedures,” PRO-NIR Director Brig. Gen. Rudecindo Reales said of the region’s anti-drug drive.
