Police arrest 3 men with P13.9M worth of shabu in North Cotabato

A P13.9 million worth of shabu confiscated from three suspects arrested during a buy-bust operation in North Cotabato on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Photo courtesy of PDEG)

MANILA, Philippines — Three men caught carrying P13.9 million worth of crystal meth, locally known as shabu, were arrested in North Cotabato on Tuesday, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Drug Enforcement Group (DEG).

In a report on Wednesday, PDEG identified the suspects as Kadapi Karim Jaca, 45; Ridzmer Nasher Abdulkara, 38; and Marhaya Aziz Abdullah, 36. The three were collared during a buy-bust operation in a hotel room along Barangay Balogo, Pigcawayan, around 5:30 a.m.

READ: 50 cops sued over P 6.7-billion ‘shabu’ haul irregularities

PDEG said it conducted the operation with the operatives of Police Regional Office 12’s (Soccsksargen) Special Operations Unit, Integrity and Monitoring Enforcement Group, and Pigcawayan Municipal Police Station, along with other regional PNP units.

The police report also said that the confiscated narcotics weighed more or less 2,050 grams with an estimated value of P13,940,000. They will be turned over to the Cotabato Provincial Forensic Unit, Kidapawan City, for laboratory examination.

Meanwhile, the arrested suspects were under police custody at the Pigcawayan Police Station.