Cotabato City, Philippines – September 12, 2025
Drug enforcement operatives dismantled a major drug transaction in Marawi City following a high-impact buy-bust operation that led to the arrest of two suspected pushers tagged as high-value targets.
On September 10, 2025, agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)–Lanao del Sur Provincial Office, backed by multiple law enforcement units, intercepted the suspects in Barangay Sarimanok, Marawi City.
Confiscated during the sting were around 500 grams of suspected shabu, packed in a large self-sealing plastic bag, with an estimated street value of ₱3.4 million. Authorities also seized buy-bust money, an android cellphone, a brown sling bag, and an identification card.
Arrested were two women identified only by their aliases: “Anji” or “Daraan,” 50, married, and “Noraida,” 43, married, both residents of Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur.
The joint operation was spearheaded by PDEA-Lanao del Sur, with support from the PDEA Regional Special Enforcement Team (RSET), PDEA Land Transportation and Interdiction Unit (LTIU), 4th Mechanized Battalion of the Philippine Army, Marawi City Police Station, Regional Drug Enforcement Unit, and the Special Operations Unit of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PDEG-BAR).
The suspects are facing charges for violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Authorities lauded the successful operation, emphasizing that the seizure represents a significant blow against the illegal drug trade in Lanao del Sur, particularly in the recovering city of Marawi.