Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat — Authorities arrested two individuals and confiscated illegal drugs, a homemade firearm, and ammunition during a search operation conducted in Sitio Balite, Barangay South Sepaka on April 10, 2025.
Operatives from the Bagumbayan Municipal Police Station (MPS), along with personnel from the 2nd Sultan Kudarat Provincial Mobile Force Company (2nd SKPMFC), implemented a search warrant for violations of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Republic Act 10591, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
The operation, authorized by a search warrant issued by Hon. Ferdinand C. Tugas of the Regional Trial Court Branch 19, 12th Judicial Region in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, led to the seizure of the following items:
- Ten sachets of suspected shabu weighing approximately 1.6 grams, with an estimated street value of ₱10,800;
- One homemade 12-gauge shotgun;
- Two pieces of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition; and
- Drug paraphernalia.
Two residents of the area, a 40-year-old married laborer and a 21-year-old single student, were arrested during the operation. Both suspects are now in police custody at Bagumbayan MPS, while the seized items have been forwarded to the Sultan Kudarat Provincial Forensic Unit for proper documentation and disposition.
Provincial Director Police Colonel Bernard L. Lao lauded the operatives for their successful implementation of the operation, emphasizing that their efforts contribute to curbing the spread of illegal drugs and unlicensed firearms in the province.
The operation is part of the intensified anti-criminality drive ordered by Police Brigadier General Arnold P. Ardiente, Regional Director of Police Regional Office 12, aimed at strengthening the enforcement of laws through the proper execution of search warrants.