SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao del Norte — A feared drug suspect was killed after allegedly opening fire on police operatives during a buy-bust operation late Thursday night in Barangay Calsada, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as Datu Labi Mastura, a married adult resident of Barangay Salimbao, was neutralized at around 11:50 p.m. on January 22, 2026, in Sitio Sampaguita, following what police described as a violent resistance to an otherwise peaceful entrapment.
According to Lt. Col. Esmael Madin, chief of the Sultan Kudarat Municipal Police Station, Mastura drew a firearm after realizing he had sold 7.31 grams of suspected shabu to undercover officers. The illegal drugs, valued at ₱49,708, were seized during the operation, along with a .45-caliber pistol with magazine, a black Motoposh scooter, ₱1,000 in genuine money, and five ₱1,000 boodle bills used in the buy-bust.
Police rushed Mastura to a nearby hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival, attending physicians confirmed.
In a report released Friday, **Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region Director Jaysen De Guzman said Mastura had long been under surveillance for large-scale drug trafficking. Community leaders and barangay officials who assisted in planning the operation said the suspect supplied shabu and marijuana to clients across Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura, and Parang towns.
Authorities further revealed that Mastura was also allegedly involved in gun-for-hire activities, extortion, and motorcycle theft, and was a prime suspect in the fatal shooting of an Indian national in Barangay Limbo last year.
Both De Guzman and Madin said the operation was initiated after tips from the suspect’s own associates and relatives, who were reportedly alarmed by the damage caused by his illegal activities. They added that repeated pleas from family members for Mastura to abandon the drug trade were ignored, prompting community-backed cooperation with law enforcement.
Police emphasized that the buy-bust was conducted with the support of barangay officials and traditional Moro leaders, underscoring what they called a growing community resolve to curb illegal drugs and violence in the area.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, in line with standard operating procedures.