Cops lose ‘big-time drug pusher’ in Maguindanao raid

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A police officer was slightly injured while three suspected illegal drug pushers were arrested in a police anti-illegal drug operation in Datu Anggal Midtimbang town in Maguindanao on Tuesday.  Cops, however, failed to bag a suspected big-time drug pusher who was the main target of the operation.

Senior Supt. Nickson Muksan, Maguindanao police provincial director, said elements of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force backed by the Army’s 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, raided Tuesday morning a house in a remote village in Datu Anggal Midtimbang town to arrest a suspected illegal drug supplier.

He said the implementation of the “Oplan Lambat Bitag,” an intensified police operation against lawless elements in Maguinanao, led to the arrest of three suspected pushers of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or “shabu.”

Muksan identified the suspects as Rashid Macadato, Moks Alamada, Abdulnaser Kalim, all residents of Barangay Mapaypag.

Muksan, however, said the raiding team, armed with arrest warrants, failed to arrest a certain Zainudin Musa who traded shots with lawmen and fled.

Insp. Esmael Madin, Datu Anggal town police chief, said the raiding team was after Musa, a suspected big-time drug pusher and was among the top 10 most wanted men of Maguindanao.

As the police entered the village following confirmation of intelligence information that Musa was in one of the houses, they were met by gun fire, triggering a brief gun battle.

Muksan said Police Officer 1 Alobide Malaguia of Maguindanao PNP was slightly injured.

Muksan vowed to intensify the campaign versus illegal drugs, saying he got the full support of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu.

Mangudadatu earlier directed the Maguindanao PNP to go after illegal drug pushers in the province.  SFM