GENERAL SANTOS City– Police operatives seized around P1.3-million worth of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride locally known as shabu and arrested five alleged drug couriers in a raid in Isulan town in Sultan Kudarat on Wednesday.
Supt. Joefel Siason, Isulan police chief, said Thursday they recovered the illegal drugs following an entrapment operation around noon at the Phildess Pension House in Barangay Kalawag 2 in Isulan.
He said they launched the raid after an alleged drug pusher sold a sachet of shabu to one of their personnel who posed as a buyer.Arrested were suspects Joey Taban Udgayagaya, 21; Cyrel Jan Bito Puasan, 20; Mohamad Tuasambutan, 39; Harun Tualuyugan, 18; and Alex Dalgan Mamalu, 19.
Police said Udgayagaya and Puasan were listed as residents of Isulan while Tuasambutan and Tualuyugan hails from Dalican, Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao. Mamalu is reportedly a resident of Sultan sa Barongis town in Maguindanao.
“We found the illegal drugs in the possession of these suspects,” Siason said in a radio interview.
Citing their inventory, he said the suspects yielded a total of 20 big sachets of shabu weighing about 100 grams. The seized shabu have an estimated “market value” of around P1.3 million, Siason said.
Aside from the illegal drugs, Siason said they recovered documents and ledgers contained code names of alleged drug pushers based in Koronadal City and the municipalities of Sto Niño, Tantangan and Polomolok in South Cotabato.
It also included names of their alleged buyers based in Davao City, he said.
Siason said the shabu was sourced from a supplier based in Maguindanao. “It appears that they’re using Isulan as dropoff point,” the police chief said.
Siason said they immediately sent the recovered items to the Police Regional Office 12 crime laboratory here for evaluation.
He said they are currently preparing the filing of multiple charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act against the five suspects.
The official said they are also looking into the extent of the group’s operations and their other possible cohorts in the area. (mindanews)
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