AUTHORITIES arrested four suspects, including a member of a notorious crime syndicate, and seized some P34.3 million worth of illegal drugs in separate anti-drug operations in Zamboanga Peninsula and in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said Tuesday, February 13, 2024.
The biggest drug haul was made in Zamboanga City by joint PDEA agents and police operatives that saw the arrest of two of the four suspects and the confiscation of P34 million worth of illegal drugs.
PDEA identified the arrested suspects as Waham Ganih alias Alham Ganih, 59; Almujir Jumah, 37; Anthony Blanco Recososa, 37; and, Nidsam Sulaiman, 49.
Maharani Gadaoni-Tosoc, PDEA regional director, said Ganih and Jumah were arrested in a buy-bust around 11:13 p.m. Monday, February 12, at Zone 5, Cariaga Street, Gonzales Drive, in Mercedes village.
Gadaoni-Tosoc seized from the possession of Ganih and Jumah were some five kilos of suspected shabu worth P34 million; 949 pieces of P1,000 bills used as boodle money topped with one genuine P1,000 used as marked money; a pick-up truck; four empty plastic packs, and two bags.
Gadaoni-Tosoc said Recososa, who was classified as high-value target (HVT), was arrested by joint PDEA and police operatives in a buy-bust around 7:35 a.m. Monday, February 12, at Purok 1 in Poblacion village, Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte.
She said seized from Recososa, a contractual employee of Jose Dalman municipal government, were a gram of suspected shabu worth P6,800 and marked money.
Meanwhile, PDEA-BARMM said Sulaiman was arrested by joint PDEA and police operatives in a buy-bust around 3:30 p.m. Monday, February 12, in Poblacion V village, Cotabato City.
Seized from the possession of Sulaiman were some 50 grams of suspected shabu worth P340,000, buy-bust money, a cellular phone and an identification card, according to the PDEA-BARMM.
The PDEA-BARMM learned that Sulaiman is a member of a notorious criminal syndicate based in Dinas, Zamboanga del Sur that is allegedly involved in trafficking of illegal drugs, robbery, extortion, contact killing, and kidnapping.
The PDEA said the arrested suspects were detained in preparation for the filing of charges against them for violation the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.