ZAMBOANGA CITY — Eight drug suspects were arrested while closed to PhP40,000 illegal drugs were seized in separate anti-illegal drug operations here in Region 9, a top police official said Thursday.
The arrest came days after President Rodrigo Duterte has directed the police to resume and assist the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the campaign against illegal drugs.
Chief Supt. Billy Beltran, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) director, identified those arrested as the following: Sherwin Antao, 33; Isnain Ballas, 24; Reynaldo De Leon, 60; Hope Tacang, 43; Romeo Villanea, 39; Annie Rose Bagarinao, 29; Alsaid Kahal, 28; and, Boy Mannan.
Beltran said that Antao and Ballas, both fishermen, were arrested in a buy-bust operation around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in Barangay Suhaile Arabi, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.
They yielded six small packs of suspected shabu, PhP870 proceeds money and PhP500 marked money.
De Leon, Tacang, Villanea, and Bagarinao were arrested by joint police and PDEA operatives around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Barangay Barra, Dipolog City.
Confiscated from them were seven grams of shabu packed in three big-size heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets with PhP35,000 street value; PhP500 buy-bust money; PhP320 cash in different denominations; a mobile phone, and, illegal drugs paraphernalia.
Kahal was arrested around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday in Barangay Sta.Catalina, Zamboanga City. He yields a sachet of suspected shabu worth PhP1,000; PhP200 marked money; and illegal drugs paraphernalia.
Mannan was arrested in a buy-bust operations around 9:40 a.m. Wednesday in Barangay Taluksangay, Zamboanga City.
Seized from him were four sachets of suspected shabu with estimated street value of PhP2,000 pesos and PhP200 marked money.
Beltran said appropriate charges would be filed against the suspects, who were detained. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
