Mindanao extortion group leader transferred to Taguig jail

COTABATO CITY – The leader of an extortion group operating in various Central Mindanao areas, who had proven to be quite difficult to restrain, had been transferred to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, a Maguindanao jail official said Thursday.

Macapagal Blao, Maguindanao provincial warden, said the transfer of Datukan Samad, alias Commander Lastikman, to Camp Bagong Diwa provided them relief as the latter proved to be very difficult to contain in undermanned facilities such as the Maguindanao provincial jail.

Samad headed an extortion group that was blamed for the series of bus bombings, highway robbery incidents, and other crimes in North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato areas.

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He was first arrested in December 2011 but escaped from the Maguindanao provincial six months later. He was then rearrested in Pikit, North Cotabato and was detained at the Kidapawan City jail.

After some 50 Samad followers stormed the jail, killed three persons and injured over a dozen others in February 2012, he was brought back to the Maguindanao provincial jail. He escaped again in late 2012. A relentless police manhunt operations led to Samad’s arrest in Pikit, North Cotabato after his wife provided the information of his whereabouts.

Blao said Samad’s latest attempt to bolt was in August this year but alert jail guards busted his plan.

Blao said Samad had always been considered “a very high risk inmate” because he had already escaped several times. CDG