SHABU HAUL. The Drug Enforcement Units of the Police Regional Office in Region 9 arrest seven alleged big-time drug personalities and seize some PHP7 million worth of suspected shabu in separate anti-drug operations Sunday (Dec. 27, 2020) in Zamboanga Peninsula. Photo shows the one kilo of suspected shabu worth PHP6.8 million seized in an anti-drug operation in the Zamboanga Sibugay town of Imelda. (Photo courtesy of Inday Bonghas)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Two businessmen and five other suspected big-time drug personalities were arrested and about PHP7 million worth of illegal drugs were seized in separate anti-drug operations in the region, a top police official said Monday.
Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) director, said businessmen Crimalde Tarawi, 53, of Simunul, Tawi-Tawi, and Basir Alano, 48, of Jolo, Sulu were arrested together with Albasir Masihul in a buy-bust operation around 2:15 p.m. Sunday in Barangay Lumbog, Imelda, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Masihul, 26, who is also tagged as an alleged big-time drug personality, is known to be a seaweed farmer from Barangay Sawa, Mabuhay, Zamboanga Sibugay province, Ylagan said.
Ylagan said the three suspects yielded a kilo of suspected shabu worth PHP6.8 million and other pieces of evidence.
Col. Ronald Ocaya, Zamboanga Sibugay police director, said Tarawi is among the alleged suppliers of illegal drugs in the region and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Meanwhile, Ylagan identified the other arrested alleged big-time drug personalities as Lourdes Ayson, 55; Linda Dellagas, 57; Mustapha Luy, 35; and Alrasul Mahamud, 37.
Ayson was arrested in a buy-bust operation around 2 a.m. Sunday along Rosas Drive, Barangay Sta. Catalina here, police said.
Police said Ayson yielded some PHP135,000 worth of suspected shabu and other pieces of evidence.
Meanwhile, police said Dellagas, Luy, and Mahamud were arrested around 2 a.m. Sunday in another buy-bust operation in Barangay Zone 3 here.
The three yielded some PHP70,000 worth of suspected shabu and PHP500 marked money, police said.
Charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against the suspects, who are all now locked up in jail. (PNA)
