COTABATO CITY (February 17) — A Valentine’s Day anti-drug sting led to the arrest of three alleged drug den operators and the seizure of ₱102,000 worth of shabu in Barangay Rosary Heights 10, authorities said.
Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM), working closely with the Cotabato City Police Office and the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, carried out the entrapment operation on Saturday, February 14, in Purok Shariff, a residential area in the city’s west side.
Authorities said the suspects — all Maguindanaon men — were caught in the act after allegedly selling shabu to an undercover operative during a tradeoff. The buy-bust operation unfolded just meters away from school campuses, raising fresh concerns about the reach of illegal drugs into communities where children and students live and study.
The three are now detained at the PDEA-BARMM facility in PC Hill, Cotabato City.
PDEA-BARMM Director Edgar Jubay said the operation was backed by barangay officials and supported by Cotabato City Mayor Bruce Matabalao and Brig. Gen. Jaysen De Guzman, regional police director.
Barangay officials revealed that the suspects allegedly hosted pot sessions inside their drug den and occasionally sold marijuana to buyers from different parts of the city — turning a neighborhood space into what authorities described as a hub for illegal activity.
The latest arrests are part of a sustained anti-drug campaign in the city. In recent months, law enforcers have arrested 17 other alleged drug den operators in separate operations supported by the local government. All are now facing charges under Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
For residents of Rosary Heights 10, the crackdown sends a clear message: law enforcement is tightening its watch — especially in areas close to schools and family homes — as part of a broader push to keep communities safe from the grip of illegal drugs.
