COTABATO CITY—Members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) here turned over some eight grams of crystal meth or shabu that they found in Datu Piang town, Maguindanao province.
In the presence of Army officials and town police, the drugs were handed over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday (Oct. 1).
According to Maj. Gerry Santig, of the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion, the MILF members were on foot patrol at Kalipapa village of Datu Piang town when they noticed a motorboat abandoned in the banks of Rio Grande de Mindanao.
When checked, they found the meth.
Capt. Israel Bayona, Datu Piang police chief, said the crystal meth has an estimated value of P54,000 when sold on retail.
At the start of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, the MILF has committed to police communities where it has presence to help fight the drug menace.
Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, thanked the MILF men, saying the gesture helps to send a message to drug dealers that the odds are stacked up against them.