Maguindanao village official, six followers, arrested for illegal drugs

COTABATO CITY – Government forces arrested on Saturday a Maguindanao village official and seven others, who yielded illegal drugs and explosives during an anti-drug operation in a remote village here.

Senior Supt. Agustin Tello, Maguindanao provincial police director, said Datumama Bantuan Abdul, incumbent village chair of Barangay Midconding in General S.K. Pendatun town, was arrested during a  joint police, army and anti-narcotics raid here. Abdul’s seven followers were arrested with him.

Tello said Abdul, a second term village chair and head of his village’s anti-drug council, had been using his home as distribution area for methamphetamine hydrochloride, popularly known as shabu.

In Parang town, police also arrested seven drug personalities in separate anti-drug raids in the villages of  Poblacion Uno and Poblacion Dos on Friday.

Chief Inspector Erwin Tabora, Parang town police chief, said currently detained at the Parang police station were Marivic Dapogo, 41; May Uson, 22; Tricia de Guzman, 24; Jobert Sanchez, 25; Randy Pajarillo, 25; Leonie Bolleado, 34 and Christine Cabangbang, 20, all residents of Barangay Poblacion 1.

Police also seized from the Parang raids P1,500 in cash, several sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia.  GAL