Cops arrest 6 in Cotabato drug den

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Authorities arrested late Wednesday six men operating a large drug den in an anti-narcotics operation assisted by Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi.

Juvenal Azurin, director of the PDEA-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said Thursday they cornered the suspects in their hideout at Purok Talitay in Barangay Rosary Heights 7 in Cotabato City.

Their lair, operating as a shabu den, is not too distant from the BARMM regional capitol.

Azurin said the operation that led to the arrest of Michael Mohammad, Faisal Mohammad, Silogan Patadon, Benjie Ulobalang, Sherad Abedin and Amer Abedin, was assisted by the mayor here, the local police and the Army’s 5thSpecial Forces Battalion.

A seventh suspect named Sammy, who facilitates the delivery of shabu to buyers, managed to escape when he noticed that PDEA agents, backed by personnel of the Cotabato City police and soldiers were approaching their den from two directions.

Azurin said the raid was carried out based on tips from vigilant people residing in Purok Talitay.

The arrested suspects are now detained at a facility of the PDEA-BARMM, to be prosecuted for violation of the Philippine Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 using the shabu recovered from them as evidence.