THE recovery of P10-million worth of shabu from the house of a former mayor of Marawi City established the "close relation" between illegal drugs and the ongoing uprising in the country, MalacaƱang said on Saturday.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the government was not surprised that the multi-million worth of shabu were recovered from the house of former Marawi City mayor Omar Solitario Ali.
Abella said Ali was named by President Rodrigo Duterte last as among the government officials involved in the narcotics trade and is included in the Arrest Order 1 issued by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, administrator of martial law in the south.
"Former Marawi City Mayor Omar Solitario Ali is one of the local government officials named by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, as allegedly involved in the drug trade. His name is likewise included in the arrest order of the Department of National Defense, in connection with the Marawi rebellion," Abella said.
"This development will hopefully bring to bear the realities existing in the area about the close relation between the illegal drug trade and this ongoing rebellion," he added.
Around two kilograms of shabu were seized from Ali's house. The seized illegal drugs are among the items recovered by government forces in Marawi City, which is still being occupied by Jihadist fighters.
On June 19, security troops recovered 11 kilos of shabu, several high-powered firearms, and an Islamic State flag inside terrorists' lair in the same city.
Duterte has repeatedly said that some government officials linked to illegal drugs are financing the terror groups that are wreaking havoc in the southern Philippines. (SunStar Philippines)