AUTHORITIES have arrested two suspects and seized some P17 million worth of illegal drugs in separate anti-drug operations in the autonomous region and in the Zamboanga Peninsula, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported on Sunday, March 10.
A soldier was injured in a brief shootout as one of the suspects escaped in the anti-drug operation in the autonomous region.
The PDEA identified the arrested suspects as Sakura Astung, who carries the aliases of Toh and Hamas, and Omar Sapaat, 36, a habal-habal driver.
Gil Cesario Castro, director of PDEA-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM), said Astung was arrested in a buy-bust operation noontime on Saturday, March 9, in Tagbak village, Indanan, Sulu.
Castro said that a soldier was injured when Astung’s cohort, identified only as a certain Jhim, resisted and opened fire upon sensing the presence of authorities after the transaction was consummated.
He said that the injured soldier was rushed to the hospital, and Jhim managed to escape.
Castro also said that seized from Astung were approximately two kilos of suspected shabu packed in two heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets, worth P13.6 million, a mobile phone, a motorcycle, and buy-bust money.
He said that the buy-bust operation was carried out with the support of military and police forces, as well as operatives of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.
Maharani Gadaoni-Tosoc, director of PDEA-Zamboanga Peninsula, said Sapaat was arrested in a buy-bust operation around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, at Purok Orchid in Poblacion village, Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Gadaoni-Tosoc said seized from Sapaat were approximately 500 grams of suspected shabu packed in three knot-tied and seven heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets, worth P3.4 million, a motorcycle, eight bundles of P800,000 boodle money topped with one genuine P1,000 marked money, an ecological bag, and a plastic bag.
Jury Rocamora, head of PDEA in Zamboanga Sibugay province, said they launched the buy-bust operation against Sapaat with the support of police forces following a series of surveillance on the suspect’s illegal activities.
The suspects arrested in the two anti-drug operations were detained, and charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against them. (SunStar Zamboanga)