Tacloban: Two high-value drug suspects were arrested while suspected shabu with an estimated street value of more than PHP1.17 million was seized in a buy-bust operation in this city on Thursday.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 8 (Eastern Visayas) stated that operatives from its units, the regional office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and Police Station 2 of the Tacloban City Police executed the operation in Barangay 110 in Utap. The suspects, identified only as alias Joseph, a 48-year-old driver from MacArthur, Leyte, and alias Jess, a 30-year-old unemployed resident of Quezon City, were both listed as high-value individuals in the government's anti-illegal drugs campaign.

The authorities confiscated three heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets and one knot-tied transparent plastic cellophane containing approximately 173 grams of suspected shabu. The seized items were valued at PHP1,176,400 according to the Dangerous Drugs Board. Police ensured that all items were marked and inventoried at the scene in compliance with Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy, Director of PRO-8, praised the operating units for their successful operation, highlighting the police force's ongoing efforts to dismantle illegal drug networks in Eastern Visayas. "We will continue to intensify intelligence-driven operations to ensure that those engaged in the illegal drug trade are brought before the law," Capoy stated. The suspects are currently under police custody as charges for violation of RA 9165 are being prepared for filing against them.