Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte – August 1, 2025 — Authorities seized an estimated ₱2.04 million worth of suspected shabu in a successful drug buy-bust operation conducted Friday afternoon in Sitio Lumpong, Barangay Poblacion Dalican, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.
The operation led to the arrest of the suspect identified as Anton Unotan Ambalgan, a married farmer and resident of Barangay Kuden, Talitay, Maguindanao del Norte.
Operatives from the Datu Odin Sinsuat Municipal Police Station (DOS MPS), headed by PLtCol. Esmail Madin, together with DOS Deputy Chief PMaj. Pasigan Abas, spearheaded the buy-bust operation. The suspect was caught in possession of six jumbo-sized sachets of suspected shabu weighing around 300 grams, with a street value pegged at over two million pesos. Authorities also recovered the marked buy-bust money used during the entrapment.
According to Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) Director Brig. Gen. Jaysen De Guzman, the suspect voluntarily surrendered after realizing he had sold illegal drugs to undercover police operatives.
De Guzman also credited the success of the operation to the collaborative efforts of the Maguindanao del Norte Provincial Police Office, PRO-BAR units, and the local government unit of Datu Odin Sinsuat, led by Mayor Abdulmain Abas and Vice Mayor Bobsteel Sinsuat. The support of the town’s multi-sectoral peace and order council was also noted as instrumental in strengthening anti-narcotics operations in the municipality.
Ambalgan is now detained at the DOS MPS and will be facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Authorities emphasized that the arrest is part of the intensified anti-drug campaign of the local government and law enforcement units in Datu Odin Sinsuat, aimed at curbing the proliferation of illegal drugs in the province.