COTABATO CITY (March 10) — A suspected drug courier from Cavite and his alleged accomplice were arrested in a highway buy-bust operation in Picong, Lanao del Sur, where authorities confiscated more than three kilos of suspected shabu worth P20.7 million, police said Tuesday.
Operatives from the Philippine National Police under the Police Regional Office – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) carried out the sting early Monday along the national highway in Barangay Maladig.
Jaysen de Guzman, PRO-BAR regional director, identified the suspects only as “Alias Ben,” a trader from General Trias, Cavite, and “Alias Markie,” a resident of Talitay, Maguindanao del Norte, both considered high-value drug targets.
Authorities seized 3,054 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P20,767,200, along with P500,000 in marked buy-bust money, two mobile phones, and a Toyota sport utility vehicle believed to have been used in the drug deal.
Police said the suspects had agreed to sell P500,000 worth of illegal drugs to an undercover officer posing as a buyer.
The arresting team moved in immediately after the suspects handed over the suspected drugs during the transaction.
The bust highlights what authorities say is the continued use of inter-provincial routes in Mindanao for large-scale drug distribution, with law enforcers intensifying operations against suppliers moving narcotics across regions.
De Guzman commended the operating units and partner agencies for the operation, saying it demonstrated the police force’s “swift and decisive action” in disrupting the illegal drug trade.
The suspects are now in police custody and will face charges under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
