Law enforcement agencies, including the PDEA, raided an illicit drug establishment in Barmm.
Three Suspects, Including a Woman, Nabbed in Cotabato City Drug Bust
In a recent takedown, authorities apprehended three alleged drug personalities - two of whom were on the Regional Target List - in a law enforcement operation in Cotabato City, an official announced on Thursday, May 1, 2025.
The trio in custody consists of alias Omar, a 51-year-old male, alias Pay, a 44-year-old female, both regional target list associates and drug den leaders, and alias Ali, 24 years old.
According to Gil Cesario Castro, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-Barmm) director, the detainment transpired during a buy-bust operation conducted on Wednesday, April 30, in Barangay Mother Bagua, Cotabato City.
The search led to the termination of an illicit drug den and the confiscation of approximately eight grams of suspected shabu, packed in 21 heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets worth PHP 54,400. Authorities also seized buy-bust money, financial documents, assorted drug paraphernalia, identification cards, and two mobile phones believed to be implicated in their drug transactions.
These suspects now find themselves remanded at the PDEA-Barmm Jail Facility, facing charges for violating Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. This operation was a joint initiative between PDEA-Barmm agents and police forces.
Sources:
- Enrichment data
- News articles (more details regarding the event)
- News articles (irrelevant details concerning another operation)
- The suspects, including Ali from Zamboanga and Pay from Mindanao, were arrested in a drug bust in Cotabato City on April 30, 2025.
- The drug den led by the suspects was shut down during the operation, and about eight grams of suspected shabu were confiscated in heat-sealed plastic sachets.
- The three suspects, who were on the Regional Target List, are detained at the PDEA-Barmm Jail Facility, facing charges under Republic Act No. 9165.
- The general-news and crime-and-justice sectors are reporting that the drug bust in Cotabato City is part of a joint initiative between PDEA-Barmm agents and local police forces, aimed at curbing drug-related activities in Mindanao.
