SEIZED DRUGS. The PHP3.4 million worth of shabu seized from a suspect during a buy-bust in Barangay Rosary Heights Mother, Cotabato City, on Tuesday (Sept. 5, 2023). The PDEA-BARMM said the suspect belongs to a drug syndicate operating here and in nearby provinces. (Photo courtesy of PDEA-BARMM)
COTABATO CITY – Anti-narcotics agents arrested Tuesday night an alleged "big-time" drug peddler and seized PHP3.4 million worth of suspected shabu in this city.
Director Christian Frivaldo of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM) identified the suspect as Toraife Saikol Andi, 42, of Maguindanao del Norte province.
An undercover agent first secured PHP1,000 worth of shabu from Andi in Purok Sibuyan, Barangay Rosary Heights Mother, during the buy-bust, Frivaldo said.
A drug-sniffing dog, however, managed to detect the presence of more prohibited drugs inside the suspect's pickup truck, where authorities found a huge brown envelope that contained half a kilo of shabu.
The suspect, currently detained at the PDEA-BARMM detention facility here, is facing charges of violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
On Sept. 1, PDEA-BARMM agents also arrested three suspects and seized PHP3.6 million worth of shabu in Barangay Rosary Heights 10. (PNA)
