Police arrested a tattoo artist after he was caught in the act of selling shabu in a buy-bust conducted by operatives of the Malay Municipal Police Station in Boracay Island.
Nabbed was Rembert Deduyo, 37, a resident of Malay, Aklan.
Police Col. Don Dicksie De Dios, chief of police of Malay Municipal Police Station, said the operation stemmed from a confirmed intelligence reports about the alleged illegal activities of Deduyo.
He was arrested on Friday, July 22, in Barangay Manoc-Manoc, Boracay Island.
De Dios said his men seized plastic sachets containing suspected shabu.
He said Deduyo is now facing charges ofof violation of Section 5 (selling), and Section 11 (possession) under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The Malay Police Station has stepped up the anti-criminality drive in Boracay Island in response to the order of President Bongbong Marcos, Jr. to deply additional policemen in tourist spots in the Philippines and to ensure the safety of both local and foreign tourists.
The Marcos administration is banking on tourism as one of the ways to recover from the adverse economic impacts of the Cocid-19 pandemic.
Aside from drug peddlers, De Dios said they also stepped up the drive against wanted criminals and other criminal elements operating in Malay town.