Gun dealer slain, 4 others nabbed in Maguindanao raid

Part of the firearms seized from suspected gun dealers in Talayan, Maguindanao del Sur on Thursday, April 25, 2024. | PHOTOS: CIDG-BARMM

COTABATO CITY — A suspected gun dealer was killed, while four of his companions were arrested Thursday afternoon during a raid in Talayan, Maguindanao del Sur.

Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Huesca, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) identified the slain suspected gunrunner as Zaldy Usman of Barangay Tambunan, Talayan.

During the operation, CIDG operatives backed by soldiers, injured and later arrested Ibrahim Temanong Satogan, 26; Basir Baliwan, 37; Ismael Cabagani, 49; and Ari Butuan, 43, all residents of Talitay town, Maguindanao del Sur.

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The suspects were to sell high-powered firearms near a gasoline station to undercover agents, but one of them sensed they were dealing with law enforcers hence, opened fire.

A brief gunfight ensued that led to the killing of Usman.

The CIDG operatives seized two M16 rifles, a caliber .45 pistol, a caliber .30 light machine gun, ammunition, and mobile phones from the suspects whom Huesca described as members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the erstwhile rebel group whose armed wing is in the process of being decommissioned as part of the 2014 peace deal with the government.

Charges are being prepared against the suspects, who are now detained at the CIDG facility in this city.

Part of the firearms seized from suspected gun dealers in Talayan, Maguindanao del Sur on Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Photo from CIDG-BARMM)