Police bust drug ring in Digos

By: Eldie Aguirre - 10 years ago

Shabu. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

DIGOS CITY, Davao del Sur–Police here claim to have busted a major local illegal drugs syndicate with the arrest on Tuesday of its alleged leader and two of his followers.

Superintendent Querubin Manalang, Digos City police director, said a fourth member of the gang managed to escape when the arresting officers arrived to serve a warrant issued by Judge Carmelita Davin.

Manalang identified the arrested suspects as Allan Diamad, 45, of Chapter 2 in Barangay Aplaya here; Amir Jamad of Punta Biao in Barangay Cogon; and Ruby Pacones Ostenberg, 38, of Barangay Zone III.

Diamad was the alleged leader of the gang, which got its supplies from as far as Marawi City in Lanao del Sur.

Superintendent Edilberto Leonardo, acting provincial chief of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit in Davao del Sur, said the authorities had been monitoring the men several days before moving in to arrest them on Tuesday.

At least 71 large sachets and 20 medium-sized sachets of shabu, with a street value of not less than P100,000, were seized from them, he said.

Senior Superintendent Joel Pernito, CIDG director for Eastern Mindanao, said at least six handguns, assorted ammunition and two fragmentation grenades were also taken from the men.

Senior Superintendent Michael John Dubria, Davao del Sur police director, said a search was ongoing for the fourth suspect.

Dubria said the campaign against illegal drugs in the province was in line with the “marching order of Governor Claude Bautista to get rid of these people” by arresting and charging them in court.

Mayor Joseph Peñas said he was dismayed that one of those arrested, Jamad, was a job-order employee detailed as leader of the “Bantay-Dagat” team patroling the coastal villages of Digos City.

“I am saddened by the information that one of my employees was involved in drug trafficking. However, this will serve as a warning to any other employees of Digos City to refrain from doing their illegal trade, otherwise the long arm of the law will drag them to jail,” Peñas said.

Bautista said drug traffickers should be thankful that they were just being arrested these days.

“Don’t wait to suffer repercussions of your felonies. It could not just be arrest in the next round,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Zamboanga City, the authorities recovered some P6-million worth of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) that a suspected syndicate member had abandoned in an apartment in Barangay Sto. Niño on Monday.

Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro, Zamboanga City police chief, said the illegal drug was discovered by one of the occupants of the apartment who notified village officials.

The shabu was contained in a large zip bag, he said, adding that around P11,000 in cash was recovered along with it.

It was not known why the alleged syndicate member, identified as Nurhaifa Musa, abandoned the illegal drug but police sources said she might have suspected that the police were closing in on her. With a report from Julie S. Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao