BACOLOD CITY, July 21 -- A male Grade 9 student of a public high school here has been taken by the police into protective custody after he was found possessing suspected illegal drugs during a campus security inspection on Monday, the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) reported on Tuesday.

The 17-year-old learner yielded two knot-tied sachets containing about 30 grams of suspected shabu valued at PHP204,000.

"Investigators will determine the source of the illegal drugs and ascertain whether the minor may have been exploited or used by individuals involved in illegal drug trafficking," PRO-NIR spokesperson Lt. Col. Joem Malong said in a statement.

A security guard found the sachets of suspected drugs inside the studen...