In a significant operation against narcotics, anti-drug agents, backed by police special forces, apprehended two individuals suspected of drug peddling in Marawi City on Wednesday afternoon. The operation resulted in the seizure of shabu valued at PHP3.4 million. The suspects, identified as ‘Alex,’ a 42-year-old member of the provincial security force from Tamparan, Lanao del Sur, and ‘Muning,’ a 33-year-old from Barangay Tampilong, Marawi City, were caught during a meticulously planned buy-bust operation. Gil Cesario Castro, the regional director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM), revealed that the duo had been under surveillance for three weeks prior to their arrest. The operation, a collaborative effort involving the Police Special Action Force and the Marawi City Police Office, led to the confiscation of five large sachets of shabu totaling 500 grams, along with buy-bust money, two mobile phones, various identification cards, and a motorcycle. The arrested individuals are now detained at the PDEA-BARMM jail facility, awaiting inquest proceedings for violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Since the beginning of the year, PDEA-BARMM has successfully seized approximately PHP15 million worth of shabu across various operations in the region, including the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi, as well as the cities of Cotabato, Marawi, and Lamitan, and the eight municipalities in BARMM’s Special Geographic Area.
