COTABATO CITY (August 29) — On Wednesday, August 27, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and police conducted a joint operation in Barangay Old Nunungan, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Maguindanao del Sur, where a drug den owner reportedly linked to two local terror groups was killed and three of his cohorts, including a woman, were arrested.
Following a brief shootout, PDEA-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM) agents, backed by Maguindanao del Sur Provincial Police Office units, seized P224,400 worth of shabu from the fallen drug den operator, Allan Sinapal Masundig, and his associates, according to local executives and traditional Moro leaders on Thursday, August 28.
The Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) and Army intelligence units under the 601st Infantry Brigade informed reporters that Masundig had been giving some of his earnings to the leaders of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Dawlah Islamiya, two groups that are known for providing financial protection to large-scale drug traffickers despite being weak.
The operation started as a buy-bust, according to authorities, with PDEA-BARMM agents and police officers preparing to apprehend Masundig and his friends, Monera Bansuan, Jordan Alon, and Tanggul Kunakon, amicably after selling them 33 grams of shabu inside their hiding place. However, Masundig allegedly drew an M14 rifle and started shooting, which resulted in a gunfight that claimed his life.
Masundig’s three accomplices ultimately turned themselves in and are currently being held on charges under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, according to PDEA-BARMM director Gil Cesario Castro.
After informing police about Masundig’s drug den activities, barangay and municipal leaders revealed that commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has a peace agreement with the government, assisted in organizing the entrapment operation.
Castro thanked Police Brig. Gen. Jaysen De Guzman, the director of PRO-BAR, for his assistance with the joint operation.
