A barangay councilor and a suspected member of a rebel-group in Muslim-Mindanao were arrested in separate operations conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies.
PDEA Director General Undersecretary Jose S Gutierrez Jr identified the barangay kagawad as Acmodin Acmad, 39 years old, and the alleged officer of the Bangsamoro Armed Forces of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) as Rajul A Sahibad, 46 years old.
Acmad, a councilor of Barangay Linokmadalum, Lapuyan, Zamboanga Del Sur, was apprehended in the morning of August 10, 2011 in his own barangay after operatives of PDEA Regional Office 9 (PDEA RO9), the Provincial Intelligence Branch of Zamboanga del Sur Police Provincial Office (PIB-PPO), Provincial Anti-Drug Special Operation Task Force (PAIDSOTF) and Provincial Public Safety (PPS) recovered from his possession 13 sachets containing 2.5 grams of shabu and drug paraphernalia.
Meanwhile, a buy-bust operation conducted by PDEA RO9 together with Labason Municipal Police Station and PPSC, Camp Hamac, Dipolog on July 28, 2011 in Zamboanga Del Norte, resulted in the arrest of Sahibad and his cohort identified as Osop B. Atih.
The transaction with Sahibad and Atih, both included in the PDEA watchlist, took place in Marc Music Lounge along Padre Burgos St., Antonio, Labason. Recovered from the duo were three heat-sealed plastic sachets containing 1.3 grams of shabu, assorted drug paraphernalia, various identification cards, and one unit of black Honda XRM with plate number 8027 JB.
Sahibad and Atih are presently detained at the Salug District Jail in Salug, Zamboanga del Norte. Evangeline DJ Almenario, Chief, Public Information Office, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
