BACOLOD-KALAWI, Lanao del Sur — A joint anti-drug operation by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Friday, September 5, 2025, resulted in the confiscation of more than ₱2.7 million worth of suspected shabu and the arrest of a drug suspect who was wounded after engaging authorities in a shootout.
Around 3:30 p.m., operatives from the Bacolod-Kalawi Municipal Police Station, the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company of the Lanao del Sur Police Provincial Office, the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit-BAR, the Special Operations Unit-BAR of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, the 45th Special Action Company and 4th Special Action Battalion of the PNP-SAF, and the PDEA Lanao del Sur Provincial Office launched a buy-bust operation in Barangay Ampao.
The suspect, upon sensing he was being arrested, reportedly drew a 9mm pistol and fired at operatives, prompting law enforcers to retaliate. He sustained gunshot wounds and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment before being placed under police custody.
Authorities recovered approximately 406.9 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated value of ₱2,766,920, the marked buy-bust money, a 9mm pistol with ten live rounds, six fired cartridges, and other non-drug items. Investigators also received reports that the suspect was involved in selling dried marijuana in other towns of Lanao del Sur and in Marawi City.
Brig. Gen. Jaysen de Guzman, director of Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), said the entrapment was conducted following community reports of large-scale shabu trading in Bacolod-Kalawi. Traditional Maranao leaders and the Municipal Peace and Order Council supported the operation, in line with the anti-narcotics campaign of Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. and the provincial police force.
Acting PNP Chief PLTGEN Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. lauded the success of the operation, calling it proof of the “relentless dedication of our police force and partner agencies in enforcing the law against illegal drugs.”
The suspect will face charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. The PNP assured the public it will sustain its intensified campaign against illegal drugs while upholding the rights and safety of every citizen.