ZAMBOANGA CITY — Police arrested four suspected big time drug pushers and seized PHP400,000 worth of illegal drugs in separate operations here and in nearby Isabela City, a police official said Friday.
Chief Supt. Billy Beltran, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) director, identified the arrested suspects as Aldin Awod, 25; Amikdal Ahmad, 24; Sujie Ajijul, 42; and, Lloyd Uy, 36.
Their arrrest came three days after President Rodrigo Duterte announced in his State of the National Address (SONA) that “the war against illegal drugs is far from over.”
Beltran said Awod and Ahmad were arrested around 8:20 p.m. Thursday in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Mampang, this city. Confiscated from them were PHP350,000 worth of suspected methamphetamine hydrocloride commonly known as shabu packed in a large-sized transparent plastic sachet, PHP800 marked money consisting of eight PHP100 bills, and a motorcycle.
He said Ajijul was arrested in another buy-bust operation around 9:45 p.m. Thursday in Barangay Kaumpurnah Zone 1, Isabela city, the capital of Basilan province.
Confiscated from the suspect’s possession were five grams suspected shabu with estimated street value of PHP20,000 and P1,000 marked money placed on top of neatly-cut bond paper.
Beltran said Uy was arrestedin a buy-bust operation around 4 p.m. Thursday in Barangay San Roque, this city.
Seized from Uy’s possession were PHP30,000 worth of suspected shabu packed in four plastic sachets, PHP500 marked consisting of five PHP100 bills and drug paraphernalia.
Uy has an existing case for violation of the Republic Act 9165 otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 but was temporarily freed after posting bail bond on April 11, 2018, police said.
He said cases of violation of R.A. 9165 will be filed against the detained suspects.
President Duterte said the illegal drugs was will not be sidelines and it will be as “relentless and chilling” as on the day it began.
“These drug dealers know fully well that their business is against the law,” Beltran said. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
