Grenades, guns, shabu seized in North Cotabato PDEA raid

COTABATO CITY - Authorities seized P102,000 worth of shabu, firearms and two fragmentation grenades from five henchmen of a drug den operator arrested Thursday in Kabacan, North Cotabato.

Suspects Amir Sumilalao, Tonican Sumilalao, Mohammad Orakim, Ervin Villagonzalo and To Dimaudtang are now under custody of the Philippine Drug Enforcement-12.

Naravy Duquiatan, director of PDEA-12, said Friday the five suspects first traded shots with their agents and personnel of different units under the North Cotabato Provincial Police Office, enabling their employer, Bumol Sumilalao to run away.

The suspects yielded when they sensed that their hideout in Purok 5 in Barangay Katidtuan in Kabacan, where they operated a drug den, had been surrounded by PDEA-12 agents backed by members of the Kabacan Municipal Police Station and soldiers from the 90^th Infantry Battalion.

The PDEA-12 raid that resulted in the arrest of the five suspects was assisted by local officials, according to Duquitan.

PDEA-12 agents and policemen seized from them a 12 gauge shotgun, a .45 caliber pistol, a .38 revolver and two MK2 fragmentation grenades.

Duquiatan said the five detained suspects are to be charged separately with violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and illegal possession of firearms and explosives.