ZAMBOANGA CITY – Six people, including a businessman tagged as a high-value target (HVT), were arrested while some PHP507,020 illegal drugs seized in a series of anti-drug operations in the region, the police reported on Friday.
Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) director, identified the arrested businessman as Rafidz Ismael, 27, who is listed as the top 4 priority target in the campaign against illegal drugs in the region.
Ylagan said that a joint team of policemen and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives arrested Ismael in an anti-drug operation around 5:15 p.m. Thursday in Purok B, Barangay Poblacion, Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Recovered from Ismael’s possession was a sachet of five grams suspected shabu worth PHP34,000 and 16 pieces of PHP1,000 boodle money topped with one genuine PHP1,000 bill as marked money.
Ylagan identified the other five arrested suspects as Merham Bakil, 43; Chester Markilan, 31; Abdurasa Sarahan, 41; Alvin Ting, 22; and, Garreth Remegia, 28.
Around 2:30 a.m. Friday, operatives of the Zamboanga City Police Office’s (ZCPO) Station 7 arrested Bakil and Markilan in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Talon-Talon, here.
Ylagan said the two suspects yielded some 4.8 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated value of PHP30,000 and PHP500 marked money.
Sarahan, a motorcycle taxi driver, was arrested by operatives of the PRO-9’s Drug Enforcement Unit in an anti-drug operation around 9:05 a.m. Thursday in Ruste Drive, Barangay San Jose Cawa-Cawa, also in this city.
Seized from the possession of Sarahan were some 55 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of PHP374,000, a camelback bag, a motorcycle, and nine pieces of PHP1,000 boodle money topped with two genuine P500 bills used as buy-bust money, according to Ylagan.
He said that Ting, a self-employed individual, yielded some PHP1,020 worth of illegal drugs, a cellular phone, and PHP1,000 marked money when arrested in a buy-bust operation around 1:20 p.m. Thursday in Lopez Jaena Street, Barangay Poblacion, Margosatubig, Zamboanga del Sur.
The joint team of ZCPO’s Station 11, Philippine Coast Guard Intelligence Unit, and port policemen arrested Remegia in an anti-drug operation around 5:30 p.m. along Corcuerra Street, Barangay Zone IV, this city.
Ylagan said that the arresting team seized from Remegia some four sachets of 10 grams of shabu with an estimated value of PHP68,000, a coin purse, and PHP500 marked money.
He said that charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are being readied to be filed against the suspects. (PNA)
