Cop wounded in Maguindanao shootout

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines – A notorious drug trafficker shot and wounded a policeman in an encounter Tuesday in Datu Anggal town that resulted to the arrest of his three cohorts distributing narcotics in the municipality.

The victim, PO1 Alobide Malaguia, and his companions were approaching the hideout of Zainudin Musa in an interior district in Datu Anggal, Maguindanao when the suspect shot them with assault rifle, provoking a brief encounter.

Musa is one of Maguindanao’s top ten peddlers of methamphetamine hydrochloride, most known as shabu.

Musa managed to escape, but three of his men, Rashid Macadato, Moks Alamada, Abdulnaser Kalim, were eventually cornered by pursuing policemen and soldiers after a brief chase.

The incident in Datu Anggal was preceded by the arrest a day before of drug dealers Trinity Cabahug and Jasmine Dela Cruz in Koronadal City.

Cabahug and Dela Cruz were nabbed while in the act of selling shabu to policemen disguised as drug dependents.

In a press communiqué Wednesday, the Koronadal City police said the team that arrested Cabahug and Dela Cruz recovered from them shabu in sealed sachets, counterfeit P100 bills and drug sniffing paraphernalia.

The Koronadal City police said the duo, now detained, will be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Cabahug and Dela Cruz will also be sued for possession of fake P100 bills.