COTABATO CITY — Five drug suspects, including a village councilman, were killed in the conduct of “One time, Big time ” anti-drug raids here the past two days.
Senior Supt. Rolly Octavio, the city police chief, said joint operatives of the city police, the 5th Special Forces Battalion, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Philippine Army’s 603rd Brigade, are serving 25 search warrants for drug suspects in Barangay Poblacion 3 here when a shootout erupted during the pre-dawn operation on Sunday.
Killed during Sunday’s 2 a.m. raid were drug suspects Ariel dela Cruz, Datukon Mamamdra, Zaldy Saptula, and Andong Guimlah.
Octavio identified two of the arrested individuals in the two-day sweep as Omar Butuan and a certain Barak.
The principal target of Sunday’s operation, identified as Torix Mamadra, managed to elude arrest.
Seized from the arrested and slain suspects were a still undetermined amount of shabu, hand grenades, and firearms that included a 9mm pistol and two .45-caliber pistols, among others.
On Saturday, lawmen also engaged and killed Sadat Gampong Ayunan, a village councilman of Barangay Kalanganan Mother, who was on the PDEA watch list order in this city, in a shootout.
Ayunan fired at the approaching police and PDEA agents, forcing the raiding team to return fire. (Noel Punzalan/PNA)
