BANGUED, Abra - Operatives from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested a suspected drug lord in a raid at his house in Lagawe, Ifugao Wednesday night.
PDEA--Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) senior agent Jeoffrey Tacio identified the suspect as Eduardo Dinamling of Barangay Kuta, Lagawe, Ifugao province.
Dinamling, an alleged big time drug pusher, said to be operating in the eastern parts of the Cordillera region, was arrested after two months surveillance conducted by PDEA-CAR agents.
The search operation was conducted with the presence of barangay officials through a search warrant issued by Judge Merianthe Zuraek of Regional Trial Court Branch 29 in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.
The lawmen seized during the raid eight sachets of shabu, including three in suspect's possession, weighing around two grams, six cellphones, bundled cash worth P40,000 hidden inside a shoe, and several drug paraphernalia.
The raiding team also recovered from the alleged drug lord a 45-caliber pistol, a .22-caliber five-shooter mini-revolver, assorted ammunition, a samurai-style sword, and a hunting knife.
Tacio said the successful operation against Dinamling was conducted based on information from concerned residents in the area who had complained on proliferation of drug users, including government employees in the capital town.
"We learned that some government employees are regularly visiting Dinamling's house where pot sessions were occurring," he said.
Tacio said the suspected drug dealer is now detained in Lagawe police station as charges are being readied against him for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002. (Freddie G. Lazaro/PNA)