P3.4-M shabu seized in Cotabato City sting

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Anti-narcotics agents seized P3.4 million worth of shabu from two dealers entrapped here Thursday, barely two days after policemen arrested three traffickers in a P2.3 million sting in Pagadian City.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region is now in custody of Solaiman Mastura Mohammad and his cohort, Bayan Mohammad Akmad, from whom its agents confiscated P3.4 million worth of shabu in a tradeoff on Thursday afternoon in Purok Katamlangan in Barangay Rosary Heights 8 in southeast of this city.

Christian Frivaldo, director of PDEA-BARMM, told reporters Friday they are to prosecute Mohammad and Akmad for violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 using the 500 grams of shabu confiscated from them as evidence.

Frivaldo said the operation that resulted in their arrest was assisted by the Cotabato City Police Office and informants from the local communities aware of the drug trafficking activities of the suspects.

The arrest of Mohammad and Akmad was preceded by Tuesday’s entrapment by personnel of different units of the Police Regional Office-9 of three drug traffickers --- Ronilo Toting Obedas, Niel Ampoller Sasing and Mark Jumawan Sumera --- at the JRC Hotel in Purok Sampaguita in Barangay San Pedro, Pagadian City.

In a statement Wednesday, PRO 9’s public information officer, Police Major Shellamie Chang, said anti-narcotics agents had placed at no less than P2.3 million the value of the shabu the three suspects had sold to operatives in civilian attires.

Obedas, Sasing and Sumera are now locked in a police detention facility in Pagadian City, awaiting prosecution.