ZAMBOANGA CITY — Authorities arrested an alleged drug dealer and seized an estimated ₱6.8 million worth of suspected shabu during a joint anti-drug operation conducted Saturday night, March 14, along Corcuera Street in Barangay Zone 4, this city.
Operatives from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 9 (PDEA-9), working alongside various units of the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) under the Police Regional Office 9 (PRO-9), carried out the entrapment operation that resulted in the arrest of the suspect identified as Brandon Dansalan Abilul, 27, a resident of Candido Drive, Barangay Talon-Talon.
Authorities said Abilul was apprehended after he allegedly sold illegal drugs to an undercover operative who posed as a buyer during the buy-bust operation. The arrest was immediately made after the drug transaction was completed.
Confiscated from the suspect was approximately one kilogram of suspected shabu, with an estimated street value of ₱6.8 million, according to law enforcement authorities.
The operation was conducted under the leadership of PDEA-9 Regional Director Bryan Babang, in coordination with the Zamboanga City Police Office and other law enforcement units in the region.
Officials said the entrapment operation was the result of coordinated intelligence monitoring and operational planning aimed at dismantling the illegal drug trade in the city.
Abilul was immediately taken into custody by PDEA-9 operatives and is currently being detained while authorities prepare charges against him for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Authorities emphasized that the successful operation underscores the continuing collaboration between anti-drug agencies and local police forces in intensifying the campaign against illegal drugs in Zamboanga City and across Western Mindanao.
The confiscated suspected shabu will be submitted for laboratory examination, while further investigation is underway to determine possible links of the suspect to larger drug trafficking networks operating in the region.