A tricycle driver was apprehended during an anti-illegal drugs operation conducted by law enforcement authorities in Purok Sabsaban, Barangay Tabon, Quezon, Palawan, before the weekend.
The provincial police said the tricycle driver, 49, was apprehended on January 24 by joint personnel of the Quezon Municipal Police Station (MPS) and the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) in Tabon.
The operation, led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Romerico Remo and conducted with a coordination order certificate (COC) from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), resulted in the confiscation of several items believed to be illegal drugs.
Seized were one heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, weighing 0.53 grams (including the packaging), which was used as the purchased item during the operation. They also recovered three additional heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing shabu, and ₱1,500 that served as boodle money.
The total confiscated drugs weighed approximately 0.72 grams, including packaging, with an estimated market value of ₱3,240.
The suspect, a resident of Tabon, is now in police custody.
He is expected to face charges for violating Sections 5 and 11 of Article II of Republic Act No. 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
