MARAWI CITY — Police units in Lanao del Sur scored a major victory against illegal drugs after seizing ₱7.4 million worth of shabu and arresting a high-value suspect during a meticulously planned buy-bust operation in Barangay Gadongan on Saturday, December 6, 2025.
The joint operation was carried out by the Alert Team (Alpha) and the City Drug Enforcement Unit led by PCPT Macabantog A. Batao Jr., DCOP, under the supervision of PLTCOL Muhiddin G. Pagayawan, Marawi City Police Chief. The sting was launched at around 11:20 a.m. and resulted in the arrest of the identified suspect, Saddam Luman Lawi, 33, a resident of Barangay Buadiangkay, Maguing, Lanao del Sur.
Authorities recovered 1.1 kilograms of suspected shabu, sealed in a transparent plastic bag, with an estimated Standard Drug Price (SDP) of ₱7,480,000, along with various paraphernalia and items used in the transaction. Confiscated from the suspect were:
- One tape-sealed plastic pack of shabu (1.1 kg)
- One green plastic cellophane labeled “GUANYINWANG”
- One white RCED bag marked “PALAWAKIN ANG GALING”
- A driver’s license
- Laminated OR/CR documents
- Key for a Bajaj-Maxima unit
- One genuine ₱1,000 bill placed on top of 949 cut photocopied bills used as buy-bust money
The suspect was immediately informed of his arrest and his constitutional rights in a language he fully understood.
Police conducted an on-site inventory of all seized evidence, witnessed by barangay officials and a DOJ representative, ensuring full transparency and adherence to legal protocols. The suspect and evidence were later brought to the Marawi City Police Station for documentation and filing of charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Director Brig. Gen. Jaysen de Guzman confirmed the operation’s success, noting that the suspect did not resist arrest when operatives from PRO-BAR, the Marawi City Police Station, and the City Drug Enforcement Unit cornered him during the entrapment.
Marawi City Police Chief Lt. Col. Muhiddin Pagayawan credited the support of Marawi City Mayor Zain Sharif Gandamra, Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr., and local barangay leaders of Gadongan for enabling the swift and well-coordinated operation.
Reports submitted to Gen. De Guzman indicated that Lawi had been linked to large-scale distribution of shabu within Marawi City and nearby towns in Lanao del Sur, prompting the surveillance and eventual entrapment.
The arrest is seen as a significant blow to illegal drug networks operating in the province. Authorities vow to intensify operations to dismantle remaining drug groups and ensure the continued safety of communities in the Bangsamoro region.