Cop, 2 others yield P13.6-M shabu in Zamboanga buy bust

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Police nabbed three individuals, including a police officer and a Philippine Coast Guard member, and seized PHP13.6 million worth of shabu in an anti-drug operation here, authorities said Thursday. Col. Romeo Espero Jr., deputy regional director for operations of the Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula (PRO-9), identified the suspects as Staff Sergeant Siddih Aliuddin Jr., 44; Seaman First Class Mohammad Abbas, 30; and Mardie, Aliuddin's wife and Abbas' sister. 'It took several days to convince them to finalize the transaction as they were elusive,' Espero said during a local radio interview. The trio was apprehended during a buy-bust operation conducted by the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday along the highway in Zone 6, Barangay Boalan. Aliuddin is assigned to the Regional Headquarters Service Unit of PRO-9, while Abbas serves at the Coast Guard Station Isabela City, Basilan. Seized from the suspects were two kilos of shabu, boodle money, and a car from the suspects. The group allegedly sourced the illegal drugs from Tawi-Tawi, according to police. Wednesday's operation marked the largest drug haul in Zamboanga City and the Zamboanga Peninsula this month. Source: Philippines News agency