Police swooped in on a late-night drug operation in Sitio Pucatod, Barangay Payao in Binalbagan town, Negros Occidental on October 1, arresting a barangay councilor, a driver, and two farmers.
Authorities identified the suspects as Humphrey Marceli, 39, a Barangay Councilor tagged as a high-value individual; Tyron Gamoza, 44, a driver; Ronir Beno, 48, a local resident; and Richard Garcia, 33, from Barangay Camangcamang, Isabela.
Police seized around 70 grams of suspected shabu, valued at roughly P476,000. They also recovered a black belt bag, an improvised glass tooter, two lighters, and seventeen P1,000 bills—including the buy-bust money.
The suspects are now in the custody of the Binalbagan Municipal Police Station as authorities prepare charges.
This latest arrest of a public servant comes just a month after a traffic enforcer in a neighboring city of Kabankalan was also caught in a similar drug case, underscoring persistent efforts to clamp down on illegal drugs.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.