CORNERED. Suspected gunrunner “Datuan” (seated on the ground) is arrested after a buy-bust in Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao del Norte on Sunday (Jan. 14, 2024). Agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group seized an M-16 rifle (inset) and bullets from the suspect. (Photo courtesy of CIDG-BARMM)
COTABATO CITY – The police arrested a suspected gunrunner and three other men for possession of unlicensed guns in the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and North Cotabato on Sunday.
In the Maguindanao del Norte operation, Lt. Col. Ariel Huesca, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (CIDG-BARMM), identified the suspected gunrunner only as a certain Datuan, 35, of Barangay Kalanganan 1, Cotabato City.
“Datuan agreed to sell a US-made M-16 rifle to a buyer, an undercover agent of CIDG, and the trade-off area was along the highway in Barangay Macabiso, Sultan Mastura town,” Huesca said in a report on Monday.
Huesca said Datuan was arrested at about 2 p.m. after he handed over the rifle to a supposed buyer. He also yielded magazines with bullets and the PHP200,000 boodle money.
Charges for violation of Republic Act 10591 or Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act are being prepared against the suspect, now detained at the CIDG facility.
In Pigcawayan, North Cotabato, three men were arrested for possession of an unlicensed gun during a checkpoint operation in Barangay Binasing at about 8 p.m.
Maj. Andres Sumugat, Pigcawayan police chief, said suspects “Jomar,” “Rafael,” and “Mana” are from Barangay Butig, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte.
Earlier, police received a tip from a concerned citizen about three men with firearms heading toward the town center.
Of the three men, only one was carrying the pistol, while the two had bullets in their pockets.
Also on Sunday, the Soccsksargen Region police caught two drug peddlers in possession of PHP1.3 million worth of shabu in General Santos City.
Brig. Gen. Jimili Macaraeg, Soccsksargen police regional director, said “Mohamid” and “Lester,” both from Talitay, Maguindanao del Norte, fell during a 3 a.m. entrapment operation at the Queen Tuna Park in Barangay Dadiangas South. (PNA)
