KORONADAL CITY, Philippines — Agents busted a notorious five-member drug ring in a series of operations here on Friday.
Gil Cesario Castro, director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-12, said on Saturday that five drug traffickers were arrested in their operations, now detained for prosecution.
One of the five offenders is claiming to be a minor, according to Castro.
He said the four adult detainees, Roy Palmares, 20, Ruben Pangantihon, 34, Lionel Pastolero, 29 and Abet Sarip, 42, shall be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165, which prohibits possession and sale of narcotics.
Castro said they are still validating the assertion on lack of age of the fifth offender to mitigate criminal liability.
The five suspects were arrested one after another in drug stings carried out with the help of the Koronadal City police and local officials.
PDEA-12 agents recovered from them shabu, which will be used as evidence in filing corresponding cases against them.
The PDEA-12 neutralized more than a dozen big drug syndicates in Region 12 since January, among them groups ran by violent religious extremists claiming allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.