ALAMADA, North Cotabato — A pre-dawn police operation in a remote village here on Thursday, April 30, led to the arrest of a sitio leader and another suspect, with authorities seizing illegal drugs, a firearm, and paraphernalia in what officials described as a significant anti-criminality crackdown.
Operatives of the Alamada Municipal Police Station implemented Search Warrant No. 26-008, issued on April 14, 2026 by Regional Trial Court Branch 18 Presiding Judge Christopher Natales in nearby Midsayap, at around 5:00 a.m. in Sitio Marabuhay, Barangay Bao.
The raid first targeted the residence of a 47-year-old farmer identified only as alias “Badho.” Police recovered five medium-sized transparent heat-sealed plastic sachets containing suspected shabu weighing approximately 49 grams, with an estimated street value of ₱333,200.
In a related operation in the same area, authorities also arrested a 40-year-old sitio leader known as alias “Ali.” Confiscated from his possession were a caliber .45 pistol, a magazine loaded with four rounds of ammunition, four medium-sized packets of suspected shabu, and drug paraphernalia.
Police said both operations were conducted under the authority of search warrants issued by the same court, signaling intensified law enforcement efforts against illegal drugs and loose firearms in the municipality.
The suspects are now under police custody at the Alamada Municipal Police Station. Charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are being prepared against them. The sitio leader will also face additional charges for illegal possession of firearms.
Authorities have yet to disclose whether the two suspects are connected in a wider drug network operating in the area. However, police emphasized that the operation underscores their continuing campaign to dismantle grassroots-level drug activities, even in far-flung communities.
“This operation sends a strong message that no one is above the law, regardless of position in the community,” a police official said, noting the arrest of a local leader allegedly involved in illegal activities.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the extent of the suspects’ involvement and to identify possible accomplices.