ZAMBOANGA CITY – The local police seized some P2.08 million worth of illegal drugs and arrested five people including three fishermen, on two anti-drug operations on Labor Day in this city, an official announced Sunday.
Col. Rexmel Reyes, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, identified the arrested suspects as the following: Satta Alam, 50; Alshimar Sahali, 25; Makin Bahara, 48; Glenn Abu, 50; and, Shaidin Saidula, 33.
Reyes said that Alam, Sahali and Bahara, all fishermen from Basilan province, were arrested in a buy-bust operation by the operatives of the ZCPO’s Station 10 around 11:10 a.m. Saturday in Barangay Manicahan, this city.
Reyes said recovered from the three, who are high-value target drug (HVT) personalities, were some 205.8 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated value of P1.4 million, 69 pieces of P1,000 boodle money topped with five genuine P200 bills as marked money.
Reyes said that Abu and Saidula, both HVT drug suspects, were arrested by the operatives of the ZCPO’s Station 3 on another anti-drug operation around 2:50 p.m. Saturday in Purok 6, Barangay Talon-Talon, this city.
He said seized from the two were some 100 grams of suspected shabu worth P680,000 concealed in an empty sachet of noodles, 180 pieces of P1,000 boodle money topped with one genuine P1,000 bill as marked money and other personal belongings.
He added that the anti-drug operations were launched following surveillance on the illegal activities of the suspects. He also noted that the suspects will be charged for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. – Nikolai Gonzalo
