Sulu ‘teenager’ arrested with over a kilo of crystal meth in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur — A “teenager” from Siasi town in Sulu was arrested on Saturday afternoon in a drug buy-bust operation here, yielding more than a kilo of suspected shabu or crystal meth.

Captain Albin Cabayacruz, acting commander of the Zamboanga City Police Station 10, identified the suspect as a certain Raup, 17.

Raup was arrested at Fernandez Drive in Barangay Santa Barbara at around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 27.

Seized from his possession are two plastic sachets containing 1.398 kilos of crystal meth, estimated to fetch some P7,070,640.00 when sold on retail.

Two bills of 500 pesos marked money were also seized from Raup.

Although a native of Laminusa Island in Siasi, Sulu, he is currently staying with friends in Barangay Baliwasan.

An identification card he carried says Raup was a Grade 6 student of the Laminusa Elementary School, although Cabayacruz doubted the document’s authenticity.

“We will have to check his teeth to determine his real age. The boy is very uncooperative and he seems to know (well) the drug trade,” Cabayacruz noted.

Given the volume of drugs he carried, Cabayacruz said Raup could be part of an organized crime group specializing in the trading of illicit drugs.

“We are working on identifying his other companions. We hope to get his cooperation,” Cabayacruz said.

Raup told police probers that he managed to enter the city last April, at the height of the city’s lockdown, using a pump-boat.

Cabayacruz said Raup will face charges for sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution, and transportation of dangerous drugs.