2 soldiers killed in Basilan drug ops

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Two members of the 4th Special Forces Battalion were killed in a shootout with drug suspects in Isabela, Basilan yesterday.

Personnel of the Army unit, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and local police were supposed to arrest Amiri Sarri in Barangay Lower Maligue when the suspect and his cohorts opened fire, Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, Joint Task Force Basilan and 101st Infantry Brigade commander, said.

He said Sarri and his unidentified companions managed to escape.

Also, in Basilan, anti-narcotics agents and military personnel dismantled a drug den and arrested three suspects in Barangay Maligaya in Lamitan City over the weekend.

Meanwhile, 15 kilos of marijuana worth P1.8 million were seized in Tabuk, Kalinga on Wednesday.

The illegal drugs were confiscated from Rolando Yag-ao, 32, who was arrested by PDEA agents in Barangay Agbannawag at around 5:55 p.m.

Authorities also seized a cell phone used by the suspect in his transactions.

In Cebu, two ”high-value” drug targets were arrested in Minglanilla town.

Isagani Rafayla, 40, and Jonamil Abella, 26, were apprehended for possession of 50.02 grams of shabu worth P340,136 in a sting in Barangay Poblacion, Brig. Gen. Roque Eduardo Vega, Central Visayas police director, said.

“Further investigations have been conducted to trace the source of the illegal drugs,” he said.

In Maguindanao, shabu worth P680,000 was seized from a man identified only as Sammy in Datu Odin Sinsuat.

The suspect eluded arrest after he jumped into a river from a bridge in Barangay Taviran. – John Unson, Emmanuel Tupas