Councilor, 3 village chairmen nabbed for drugs

MANILA, Philippines - A councilor and three barangay captains were among those arrested in recent anti-drug operations across the country, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported yesterday.

PDEA director general Isidro Lapeña identified the councilor as Saiden Utto, 41, of Guindulungan town in Maguindanao.

Lapeña said Utto was collared after he sold shabu to undercover agents in Barangay Mileb in Rajah Buayan at around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday.

He said Utto yielded 21 grams of shabu  with an estimated street value of P315,000, a .45-caliber pistol as well as ammunition, a mobile phone and identification cards.

During tactical interrogation, Utto admitted that he is a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Lapeña said Utto is ranked second on their drug watchlist in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In Pangasinan, Proceso Ordinario, 59, chairman of Barangay Zone 1 in Rosales town, was nabbed in a sting at around 8 a.m. also on Thursday.

A sachet of shabu, a sling bag containing a rifle grenade and ammunition of various calibers were allegedly recovered from Ordinario.

Meanwhile, Rejh Marseille Estrada, 39, and Arnel Mission, 55, of Barangays Magsaysay and Union, respectively, in Madrid, Surigao de Sur were arrested during a raid on their houses on Wednesday.

PDEA said the village chiefs each yielded five grams of shabu with an estimated value of P55,000.

Eleven other drug suspects were arrested in operations in Davao del Norte, Laguna, Aklan and the cities of Davao, Muntinlupa, Baguio and Cebu.

P8-M shabu

In Iloilo, Ramon Platon, 50, former chairman of Barangay Intaluan in Pototan, was arrested during a raid on his house yesterday. A kilo of shabu with an estimated value of P8 million was reportedly recovered from the suspect.

Platon was the top drug suspect in the province, said Levi Ortiz, PDEA-Western Visayas assistant director.

The suspect reportedly gets his supply from slain suspected drug pusher Melvin Odicta Sr. and Richard Prevendido, who remains at large. – With Raymund Catindig, Artemio Dumlao