Butuan Sangguniang Kabataan chair, cohort nabbed in drug bust

HIGH-VALUE ARREST. Butuan City police arrest Barangay Masao Sangguniang Kabataan Chairperson “Kenth” and companion “Baki” in a drug buy-bust at a local inn in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte on Thursday (April 24, 2025). Authorities seized around 25 grams of shabu valued at PHP170,000. (Photo courtesy of BCPO)

BUTUAN CITY — A Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairperson and his companion were arrested Thursday during a drug buy-bust operation at a roadside inn in this city, authorities said Friday.

The Butuan City Police Office (BCPO) identified the suspects as “Kenth,” 21, the SK chair of Barangay Masao, and “Baki,” 34, of Barangay San Ignacio.

Both were tagged as high-value individuals (HVIs) on the local drug watchlist, the BCPO said.

The SK is the youth council in Philippine barangays, with officials aged 18 to 24 elected by voters aged 15 to 30.

Seized from the suspects were nine sachets of suspected shabu (crystal meth), weighing about 25 grams and valued at P170,000.

“The arrest of these HVIs, including the barangay official, demonstrates that the law is applied equally to everyone, regardless of their position in the community,” BCPO chief Col. Rommel Villamor said in a statement.

Villamor also urged Butuan residents to continue supporting the police in their campaign against illegal drugs.

READ: P165,000 illegal drugs seized from SK official, other suspects in Angeles City