In a significant drug bust on Christmas Day, law enforcement officials in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, apprehended a suspected drug dealer and confiscated shabu valued at PHP3.4 million. The operation, which took place at 4 p.m., resulted in the arrest of 30-year-old Sakilan Ali from Talitay, Maguindanao del Norte.
The arrest was facilitated by an undercover agent who set up a deal with Ali to purchase shabu. The transaction was completed along the national highway in Barangay Kabuntalan, where Ali handed over 10 large sachets of the suspected drug in exchange for marked money. Following the exchange, Ali was immediately taken into custody.
In addition to the shabu, police seized counterfeit currency, five identification cards, a mobile phone, and a motorcycle believed to have been used in drug dealings. Lt. Col. Esmael Madin, the head of the Sultan Kudarat municipal police, reported that since the beginning of the year, their efforts have led to the seizure of illegal drugs worth over PHP15 million.
Sakilan Ali is now being held at the Sultan Kudarat municipal detention facility and is facing charges under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Republic Act 9165.