By PNA News
GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Joint anti-drug operatives arrested a farmer from South Cotabato province in a buy-bust operation in a village here on Monday afternoon.
Kath Abad, public information officer of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Region 12, identified the suspect as Alfonso Malayon Gulae, 35, who hails from Barangay Danlag in Tampakan, South Cotabato.
Abad said the suspect was nabbed at the vicinity of Purok 17, Barangay Mabuhay here at around 3:30 p.m. after supposedly agreeing to sell a roll of dried marijuana leaves worth PHP1,000 to an undercover agent.
Gulae also yielded several packs of dried marijuana weighing around a kilogram and with an estimated street value of PHP34,000, Abad said.
Citing intelligence reports, Abad said Gulae is considered as a major supplier of marijuana in Tampakan town, an upland, gold-rich area known as a site for marijuana plantations.
Abad said the suspect, who is a farmer by occupation, reportedly serves also as a coordinator for the area’s B’laan tribe.
“He is considered as a high-value drug personality due to the extent of his illegal activities,” she said.
Prior to the entrapment, Abad said PDEA-12 and the city police had subjected Gulae to a series of surveillance operations.
The operations were conducted in coordination with the City Police Station No. 04 and the City Mobile Force Company, she said.
Abad added the suspect will be charged with violation of Sections 5 and 11 or selling and possession of dangerous drugs, under Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
