14/03/2026
PDEA, PNP, PCG, AFP NAB 2 HIGH-VALUE DRUG SUSPECTS, โฑ47.6M SHABU IN TAWI-TAWI BUY-BUST
The Philippine National Police, under the command of PNP Chief PGEN Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr., took part in an inter-agency anti-drug operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that led to the arrest of two male high-value drug suspects and the seizure of suspected shabu worth โฑ47.6 million during a buy-bust operation at around 2:30 PM on March 11, 2026 in Sibutu Proper, Tawi-Tawi.
The operation was executed by the PDEA Tawi-Tawi Provincial Office, Sibutu Municipal Police Station under the Tawi-Tawi Police Provincial Office, the 1405th Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 14, the Philippine Coast Guard Substation Sibutu, and the Marine Battalion Landing Team of the AFP. The suspects and the confiscated items are now under the custody of the PDEA Tawi-Tawi Provincial Office for documentation and the filing of charges for violation of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Recovered during the operation were approximately 7,000 grams of suspected shabu with a standard drug price of โฑ47,600,000.00, along with buy-bust money and other non-drug evidence. This accomplishment reflects the PNPโs commitment to Enhanced Managing Police Operations, a key priority of the PNP Focused Agenda, strengthening sustained enforcement against illegal drugs in communities.
โOperations like this show that our law enforcement units are relentless in dismantling drug networks and ensuring accountability,โ said PNP Chief PGEN Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. "Huwag kayong magkamali: ang batas ay para sa lahat, at hindi namin palalampasin ang sinumang sangkot sa ilegal na droga."
He also emphasized the importance of protecting communities from the harm of illegal drugs. โEvery major drug seizure disrupts criminal networks and safeguards the public from dangerous substances,โ he said. โHindi namin hahayaan na sirain ng ipinagbabawal na gamot ang kinabukasan ng ating mga kababayanโpatuloy ang aming aksyon laban dito.โ
As the PNP intensifies law enforcement against illegal drugs and criminal activities in border and coastal areas under the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., it continues to assure the public of โBagong PNP para sa Bagong Pilipinas: Serbisyong mabilis, tapat, at nararamdaman.โ
(PNP-PIO)