Reelected North Cotabato village chief arrested for shabu possession

NORTH COTABATO --- Anti-narcotics agents detained a reelected barangay chairman in Makilala town from whose house they found shabu during a raid before dawn Wednesday.The suspect, Melvin Fortajada, chairman of Barangay Malasila in Makilala, North Cotabato, is now in the custody of PDEA-12.Agents of PDEA-12 also found in his residence several live ammunition for a .45 caliber pistol.In an initial statement Wednesday, the PDEA-12 office in General Santos City said the operation that resulted in the recovery of five sachets of shabu and pistol bullets in the house of Fortajada was based on tips from vigilant neighbors who hinted about his keeping of illegal drugs.Fortajada was reelected to a third and last term during Monday’s synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.The PDEA-12 statement said he will be prosecuted for violation of Republic Act 9165, which outlawed possession and sale of narcotics and other regulated substances.