ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/ 1 December)– Three suspects classified as “high-value targets” were arrested by operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in a buy-bust operation on Friday in this city.
Adzhar Albani, PDEA-Region 9 director, identified the suspects as Saidol Naya, 49, his wife Ruaina, 49, and Nur-Aine Abubakar, 54, all residents of Barangay Tumaga.
Albani said the suspects were arrested at around 3:40 p.m. Friday after selling a medium-sized, heat-sealed plastic sachet containing 50 grams of alleged shabu worth P190,000 to an undercover PDEA agent.
The official said that suspects yielding shabu not less than 50 grams are classified by PDEA as high-value targets.
Investigation showed that the suspects’ source of the alleged shabu is a certain Hadji Ajak, a cousin of Hadja Benida Lao, who is fifth in the PDEA list of drug pushers, Albani disclosed.
Hadji Ajak is based in the town of Maluso, Basilan province, he added.
Also confiscated from the possession of the suspects were a mobile phone and the P500 “marked money” placed on top of neatly-cut papers that resemble monetary bills inside a window stamp envelop, he said.
Albani said the suspects will be charged with violation of Section 5, in relation to Section 26, Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. (MindaNews)