DRUG BUST. PDEA operatives in Zamboanga Peninsula account for PHP6.8 million worth of shabu seized from two suspects (seated) during a buy-bust operation in Zamboanga City on Tuesday (Sept. 24, 2024). In a separate operation in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, three college students were arrested inside a drug den, where authorities confiscated PHP68,000 worth of shabu. (Photo courtesy of PDEA-9)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities have arrested five individuals, including three students, and seized more than PHP6.8 million worth of shabu in separate anti-drug operations across the Zamboanga Peninsula, an official reported Wednesday.
Maharani Gadaoni-Tosoc, regional director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Zamboanga Peninsula (PDEA-9), said the two suspects were apprehended in a buy-bust operation in Zamboanga City, while three college students were arrested in a raid that led to the dismantling of a drug den in Zamboanga Sibugay province.
The two suspects, identified as Junny Duke Bariño, 26, and Shadhi Abdua, 24, both residents of Barangay Calarian, were taken into custody during a buy-bust operation at 1 p.m. on Tuesday in Barangay Divisoria, Zamboanga City.
“A case for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, will be filed against them,” Tosoc said in a statement.
Authorities confiscated from Bariño and Abdua one kilogram of suspected shabu valued at PHP6.8 million, along with the buy-bust money, two motorcycles, and mobile phones.
Shortly after, at around 2 p.m., a separate operation in Barangay Veterans, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, resulted in the arrest of three college students, aged 22 to 23.
The raid, conducted inside an alleged drug den, uncovered 10 grams of suspected shabu valued at PHP68,000, mobile phones, and drug paraphernalia.
Tosoc said the three students will also face charges for violating Republic Act 9165. (PNA)
