Kawit, Cavite – Philippine police arrested a suspected drug dealer in a pre-dawn raid Thursday in Kawit, a town in Cavite province south of Manila, authorities said.

The suspect, identified only as “Junjun,” was apprehended around 12:40 am in Barangay Balsahan-Bisita during a buy-bust operation conducted by local police in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Richard D. Corpuz, chief of the Kawit Municipal Police Station, said the suspect was caught selling a small plastic sachet containing what is believed to be methamphetamine, locally known as “shabu.”

The raid was part of an intensified campaign against rampant crime and illegal drugs in Kawit, Corpuz added.

Authorities said the suspect was informed of his rights and taken into custody for further investigation.

The Philippines has been waging a controversial war on drugs since 2016, which has faced criticism from human rights groups over alleged extrajudicial killings.