P3.4M in meth seized from man, son caught in Pagadian buy-bust

Anti-narcotics agents arrest a man and his son from Lanao del Sur at a buy-bust operation in Pagadian City. They also seized some P3.4 million in meth. LEAH AGONOY

PAGADIAN CITY—Narcs arrested two suspects and seized at least P3.4 million worth of shabu, or crystal meth, at a buy-bust operation in the parking area of a mall here.

Jing Judilla, director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Zamboanga del Sur, said suspects Macacuna Ali Gunting and his son, Bolkia Asum Gunting, both of Lanao del Sur, were aboard an SUV parked at the mall when they agreed to meet with an undercover PDEA agent to sell meth.

Seized from the suspects during the buy-bust was at least 500 grams of meth worth some P3.4 million.

Judilla said the PDEA has been tracking down the father-and-son tandem since 2017.

PDEA operatives from northern Mindanao took part in the operation as the two suspects were also known to operate in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur provinces.

The two are now in PDEA custody and await charges.

TSB