Police Regional Office 12 (PRO 12) scored two major breakthroughs in its intensified anti-illegal drugs campaign after arresting four suspects—including a high-value individual—and confiscating more than ₱238,000 worth of suspected shabu in separate operations in Cotabato and South Cotabato.
On November 12, 2025, joint operatives of the Pigcawayan Municipal Police Station and the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, under the Cotabato Police Provincial Office and in coordination with PDEA-12, conducted a buy-bust operation at Barangay Poblacion 1, Pigcawayan, Cotabato. The operation led to the arrest of a high-value target identified as alias “Glen,” 45, a resident of Barangay Buricain, Pahamudin, SGA, BARMM.
Authorities seized from the suspect four sachets of suspected shabu weighing 15 grams, valued at ₱102,000, along with the ₱1,000 marked money used in the transaction. The suspect is now under the custody of Pigcawayan MPS and faces charges for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Meanwhile, a day earlier, on November 11, 2025, a random checkpoint in Koronadal City resulted in the arrest of three additional drug suspects and the confiscation of suspected shabu worth ₱136,000.
At around 8:00 PM, personnel from the Koronadal City Police Station, South Cotabato Police Provincial Office, and the South Cotabato Highway Patrol Team flagged down a red Transformer minivan along Barangay Morales. Officers spotted in plain view two heat-sealed sachets containing a white crystalline substance inside the vehicle’s center console. A subsequent search uncovered a green coin pouch containing two more sachets, with a combined weight of about 20 grams.
Police arrested the vehicle’s occupants: alias “Ray,” 32; alias “Jim,” 54; and alias “Arms,” 27—all residents of General Santos City. The inventory of seized items was conducted on-site, witnessed by media personnel and a Barangay Kagawad to ensure transparency.
The suspects and evidence were brought to the Koronadal City Police Station for documentation, while the confiscated substances were turned over to the South Cotabato Provincial Forensic Unit for examination. Charges for violating RA 9165 are being prepared against the three.
PRO 12 Regional Director PBGEN Arnold P. Ardiente commended the operating units for their vigilance and consistency in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“Our fight against illegal drugs continues to gain ground because of the commitment of our personnel and the support of the community. We will not stop until we achieve a drug-free SOCCSKSARGEN,” Ardiente said, emphasizing the regional police’s sustained efforts to curb drug trafficking through proactive operations and strengthened community partnerships.