AUTHORITIES have arrested a high-value target (HVT) person and seized some P3.4 million worth of illegal drugs in an anti-drug operation in Lanao del Sur, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
Gil Cesario Castro, PDEA director in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), identified the arrested HVT suspect as Arham Hadji Omar Alim, also known as Abol, 25, and a resident of Dilusan village, Maguing, Lanao del Sur.
Castro said Alim was arrested in a high-impact buy-bust operation in Marawi Poblacion village, Marawi City, Lanao del Sur on Tuesday, May 14.
He said seized from Alim were some 500 grams of suspected shabu packed in five knot-tied transparent plastic bags worth P3.4 million, buy-bust money, a wallet, assorted identification cards, one sling bag and a sports utility vehicle.
Castro said Alim was detained at the detention facility of PDEA-Barmm in preparation for the filing of a case against him for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
He said Alim was arrested by agents of PDEA-Barmm with the support of military and police forces, including intelligence operatives.
Tuesday’s confiscation of P3.4 million worth of illegal drugs and the arrest of an HVT suspect was the biggest drug haul by authorities in the autonomous region since May 1.
The biggest drug haul involved the arrest of three HVT suspects and confiscation of some P13.1 million worth of suspected shabu in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, on May 1. (SunStar Zamboanga)