TAMPARAN, LANAO DEL SUR — In a significant drug bust, authorities arrested an active member of the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) and confiscated PHP3.4 million worth of shabu during an entrapment operation on Tuesday afternoon.
According to Philippines News Agency, Director Gil Cesario Castro of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM), the suspect, identified as Alonto Pampa, was apprehended in Tamparan, Lanao del Sur. Pampa, a resident of Lunbayanague town, is currently detained at the PDEA-BARMM facility awaiting inquest proceedings for charges related to illegal drug peddling. “The suspect is now in the PDEA-BARMM detention facility while awaiting inquest proceedings for illegal drug peddling charges,” Castro stated.
During the operation, law enforcement officials seized about 500 grams of shabu, the operation’s buy-bust money, a .45-caliber pistol with ammunition, and various identification cards from the suspect. Castro noted that Pampa had been actively involved in distributing illegal drugs across Lanao del Sur and nearby provinces.
This arrest follows closely on the heels of another major drug seizure over the weekend, when PDEA, police, and military forces arrested two high-value suspects in Barangay Tandu. Lala Jamih Halisan, 28, and Alwinir Kabran, 20, both from Luuk town, were caught with PHP13.6 million worth of shabu as they were about to board a small vessel, further highlighting the ongoing drug enforcement challenges in the region.