PARANG, Maguindanao del Norte — An alleged drug courier who was later identified as an AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave) soldier was arrested during a joint anti-drug operation after authorities seized approximately two kilograms of suspected shabu worth an estimated ₱13.6 million in standard drug price in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte, on Sunday morning.
The suspect, identified only by his aliases “Akmad” and “Dats,” is a 42-year-old married driver and resident of Cotabato City.
The operation was carried out at around 6:40 a.m. on June 28 at the Duran Checkpoint in Barangay Sarmiento, Parang, by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Maguindanao del Norte, with support from the PDEA Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Special Enforcement Team, the 1401st Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-14A, and the Parang Municipal Police Station.
Authorities said the suspect was arrested during a carefully planned buy-bust operation after allegedly selling illegal drugs to an undercover operative.
Recovered from the suspect were two purple Chinese tea bags marked “888” containing approximately 2,000 grams of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu. The illegal drugs have an estimated street value of around ₱2 million, while the standard drug price is pegged at ₱13.6 million, according to authorities.
Also confiscated during the operation were an Android mobile phone, a Suzuki Ertiga with plate number NOV 2519, buy-bust money consisting of one genuine ₱1,000 bill placed on top of 20 bundles of photocopied bills, a wallet containing ₱620 in cash, two identification cards, a Cebu Pacific invoice and boarding pass, and a vehicle key.
Law enforcement personnel immediately conducted an inventory of the seized evidence at the scene in the presence of the mandatory witnesses, in compliance with the procedures required under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
Following the inventory, both the suspect and the confiscated items were transported to the PDEA Maguindanao del Norte office for proper documentation, laboratory examination, and case build-up.
Authorities are preparing to file charges against the suspect for violating Republic Act No. 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Investigators are also looking into the suspect’s reported status as an AWOL soldier and whether he is linked to a larger illegal drug syndicate operating in the Bangsamoro region.
The latest operation forms part of the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs, particularly the movement of large volumes of narcotics through key transportation routes and checkpoints in Mindanao.