Suspected drug peddler slain in Cotabato City, P13.6 M worth of drugs seized

COTABATO CITY, Maguindanao, Philippines — Police killed a suspected drug peddler during a buy-bust operation that also led to the confiscation of P13.6 million worth of suspected crystal meth, locally known as shabu, on Monday.

Col. Richard Fiesta, Cotabato City police chief, identified Tohami Kamsa, a resident of Barangay Poblacion 9 here, as among the suspects in the government’s drug watchlist.

Fiesta said a police poseur buyer managed to secure shabu from the suspect who later attempted to flee and allegedly traded shots with lawmen along a barangay road at about 3 p.m.

Barangay Poblacion 9 Chairman Jonas Mohammad said Kamsa was a drug surrenderee who yielded to authorities under ”Oplan Tokhang.”

Aside from some 2 kilogram of suspected shabu worth P13.6 million, police also seized from Kamsa a motorbike,  .45-caliber pistol, and mobile phones.

—Edwin O. Fernandez