AUTHORITIES arrested two alleged drug dealers and seized 67 kilos of shabu worth P455.6 million in an anti-drug operation in Zamboanga City last Tuesday night.
The Zamboanga Peninsula police regional office said the suspects are “newly-listed HVIs (high-value individuals)” in the continuing campaign against illegal drugs.
It did not identify the suspects but described them as a 46-year-old male resident of Barangay Divisoria in Zamboanga City and a 31-year-old female resident of Barangay Banale in Pagadian City.
The two were nabbed at around 8:30 p.m. in an interdiction operation in Zone 1, Barangay Bunguiao in Zamboanga City.
The operation was led by the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit 9 in coordination with other police units, the military and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
The confiscated shabu was turned over to the Regional Forensic Unit 9 for laboratory examination.
The suspects are under the custody of the Zamboanga City police station, while investigators are preparing criminal charges against them.
Zamboanga Peninsula police director Brig. Gen. Eleazar Matta issued a stern warning against those who are involved in the trade of illegal drugs.
“This significant seizure delivers a clear message to those who attempt to spread the scourge of illegal drugs in our region — we will find you, we will stop you, and we will ensure that you are held accountable,” said Matta.
“PRO (Police Regional Office) 9 remains resolute in its commitment to safeguard the communities of the Zamboanga Peninsula and to uphold our mission of a drug-free region,” said Matta.
Matta commended all the personnel involved in the successful operation, which is said to be “among the largest (anti-drug) interdiction operations recorded in the region.”
“The PNP reaffirms its commitment to a sustainable, rights-based, and community-driven anti-drug campaign, ensuring that every barangay becomes a stronghold for safety, dignity, and hope,” said Matta.
“Let us work as one. The fight against illegal drugs is a fight for every Filipino family’s future,” added Matta.
EX-AFP MEMBER ARRESTED
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives arrested a former member of the Armed Forces who yielded four kilos of shabu worth P27.2 million in an anti-narcotics operation in Zamboanga City last Tuesday morning.
The suspect, identified only as alias Badri of Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur, was described by PDEA as a “high-value target” in the government’s continuing campaign against illegal drugs.
The 52-year-old suspect was nabbed in Barangay Canelar in a buy-bust operation conducted by PDEA in collaboration with the military and the police.
Seized from Badri’s possession were four vacuum-sealed packs containing four kilos of shabu.
“The seized items were packed in Chinese tea and Guanyinwang-labeled packaging, consistent with methods used by drug trafficking networks,” PDEA said in a statement.
Also seized from him were a Nissan Navarra truck, the boodle money topped with genuine ₱1,000 bills, mobile phones, a national identification card, and other non-drug evidence.
Badri is facing charges for violation of Section 5 (sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals) Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
PDEA said the operation was part of the agency’s “intensified campaign against high-value drug personalities operating in Western Mindanao.”
Also on Tuesday, PDEA operatives dismantled a drug den in Purok Dahlia, Barangay Mayapyap Sur, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.
Five suspects were arrested in the area during a buy-bust operation, which later led to the dismantling of the drug den.
The suspects were identified by their aliases as Estong, 37; Boyet, 28; Ali, 21; Mong, 27; and Mike, 36.
Seized from them were 18 grams of shabu, assorted drug paraphernalia, an Android phone, and the buy-bust money.
