Manila cops arrest 2 drug suspects despite attempt of kin to stop them

More than P250,000 worth of shabu seized from two suspects included in MPD’s Drugs Watchlist. (Photo from the Public Information Office of the Manila Police District)åç

MANILA, Philippines — Police officers were about to arrest two drug suspects after a buy-bust operation in San Andres, Manila, when relatives of the suspects tried to stop the law enforcers.

The Ermita Police Station Drug Enforcement Unit, led by Lt. Job Jimenez, launched the operation against Abdullah Maute, 29, and Saadudin Alawiya, 28 — both included in the Manila Police District’s (MPD) Drug Watchlist.

An undercover officer bought crystal meth, locally known as shabu, from the suspects inside a house on D. Amatista Street at 5 p.m. on Friday. After the drug deal, anti-drug police officers moved in to arrest the suspects. But relatives in the house pulled the suspects away from the lawmen.

The arresting officers then called up a reinforcement team from the MPD Headquarters who eventually helped collar the drug suspects.

Seized during the bust were shabu worth P258,400, a digital weighing scale, cellphone, P1,000 worth of marked money, and boodle money worth P6,000.

Alawiya and Maute are now under the custody of the Ermita PoliceSstation as complaints for the sale and possession of illegal drugs were being prepared against them.

/atm