PDEA Region 9 Director Edgar Jubay said the operation on the island province was complemented by PDEA Tawi-Tawi provincial office, Marine Battalion Landing Team-9 and Bongao Municipal Police office. He said the operation was executed after law enforcers received confidential information from local concerned leaders of Bongao civic organizations. Recovered were 15 bundles of P1,000 bills and the marked money used in the operation. The arrested suspects — all charged with violation of RA 9165 — were identified by Jubay as Edzmer Mangsan, Nurhasan Tawasil and Nurhatilmlan Ajibon, all residents of Barangay Santa Barbara. Jubay noted that the combined seized illegal drugs in Bongao and Zamboanga “were so far the biggest in volume and costliest ever confiscated by PDEA in its area of responsibility in 2019.”

Source: Manila Times December 31, 2019 19:06 UTC