By Edwin Fernandez

STING OP. A PDEA agent accounts for over PHP1 million worth of shabu seized in Wao, Lanao del Sur in an operation on Wednesday (Oct. 30, 2024). The suspect Ontawar Mundas evaded authorities after an intense gunfight. (Photo courtesy of PDEA-BARMM)

COTABATO CITY – Anti-narcotics agents seized over PHP1 million worth of shabu in an operation in Wao, Lanao del Sur, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM) reported Thursday.

PDEA-BARMM Director Gil Cesario Castro said the target of the operation on Wednesday was Salman Ontawar Mundas, a high-value suspect in Barangay Kili-Kili.

The operation, backed by police and military personnel, encountered resistance as Mundas and his group opened fire, leading to an intense exchange.

“As our team approached the hideout, they were met with heavy gunfire from Mundas’ group,” Castro said. Despite efforts to apprehend him, the suspect and his group managed to escape.

In the raid, agents seized several large sachets of shabu with an estimated street value of PHP1,054,000, along with drug paraphernalia and financial transaction records.

Since January, PDEA-BARMM has confiscated over PHP100 million worth of shabu in anti-drug operations across the region, including Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and the cities of Cotabato, Marawi, and Lamitan. (PNA)