FORMER BARANGAY KAGAWAD NABBED IN TITAY ANTI-DRUG OPERATION
IPIL, ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY — An anti-drug operation in Titay resulted in the arrest of a 47-year-old former barangay kagawad and the recovery of approximately one gram of a substance suspected to be shabu, according to the Titay Municipal Police Station.
The operation took place at around 7:35 p.m. on September 25, 2026, in Purok Santan, Barangay Poblacion, Titay.
Police said the operation was carried out by personnel of the Municipal Drug Enforcement Team of Titay MPS, in coordination with the Zamboanga Sibugay 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company. The operation was conducted under the leadership of PMAJ Arnold A. Espares.
The arrested individual was described by police as a 47-year-old married male and resident of Barangay Guintoloan, Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay. He is reportedly a driver and a former barangay kagawad and was identified by authorities as a newly identified suspected street-level individual involved in illegal drug activity.
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Five small heat-sealed plastic sachets containing a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu were reportedly recovered during the operation. Police placed the estimated combined weight at about one gram, with a reported standard drug price of ₱6,800.
Aside from the suspected illegal drugs, authorities also recovered a ₱500 marked bill, a piece of white paper reportedly used as a container, and a blue lighter.
The required inventory of the confiscated items was witnessed by a barangay official from Poblacion, Titay, a media representative, and a police human-rights personnel.
Following the arrest, authorities said the suspect was informed of his constitutional rights and the reason for his apprehension. He was also given an Anti-Torture Warning in a language he reportedly understood.
The seized substance will be submitted to the Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Forensic Unit–Liloy Satellite Office for laboratory examination to establish its identity and determine its actual weight.
The arrested individual was subsequently brought to the Titay MPS for documentation and appropriate disposition. Police said an inquest case for an alleged violation of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, will be pursued.
The substance seized during the operation remains subject to forensic examination, and the allegations against the arrested individual will undergo the appropriate legal proceedings.
