The Philippine National Police in Negros Oriental are closely monitoring the presence and arrival of Muslim-speaking individuals from Mindanao who are believed to be engaged in the illegal drugs trade here.
This comes following the recent arrest of three persons from Mindanao during separate anti-illegal drugs operations in Dumaguete City, the capital of Negros Oriental, according to Sr. Insp. Don Richmond Conag of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit.
Conag said late Wednesday that the suspects are using dried fish as a “front” so they can slip the “shabu” from Mindanao unnoticed.
On Tuesday evening, the PDEU arrested a certain Judy Bapora Raja with one “bulto” (street slang of a large volume) of suspected shabu and another sachet of the illegal substance, during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Looc, Dumaguete.
Raja hails from Basilan, the PDEU official said.
Information reaching the PDEU regarding the activities of two Muslim-speaking individuals who were said to be using a vehicle to deliver “shabu” using the RO-RO ports in the guise of trading dried fish from Mindanao to be delivered to different cities in the province also led to their arrest.
Conag’s team arrested Jul Saiyadi Tingkahan and Almakbul Mudam Hammain of Tawi-Tawi with three bultos of shabu weighing 15 grams more or les and the P4,000 marked money used in the police operation.
The police also confiscated the “Bongo” Mazda pickup truck from the suspects.
He said PDEU is investigating the possible link between the two and Raja. (PNA/jfp/Juancho Gallarde)
