Government troopers seize 10 high-powered firearms in Maguindanao del Norte
Government troops seized 10 high-powered firearms during separate operations in the province of Maguindanao del Norte, reports said.
Brig. Gen. Prexy Tanggawohn, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police director, said police found two M16 rifles, a Thompson submachinegun, two M14 rifles, and bandoleers of ammunition following a tip from residents in Barangay Labungan in Datu Odin Sinsuat.
Tanggawohn said the arms cache was found in a house left deserted by its occupants when the police team arrived in Barangay Labungan last weekend.
Also in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Army soldiers seized a caliber .30 machine gun, two M16 rifles and a 40mm grenade launcher in Barangay Kakar, 15 kilometers from Barangay Labungan.
Lt. Col. Jerome Peñalosa, commander of Army’s 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, said 10 suspects who were guarding the arms cache fled when they saw the soldiers approaching their hideout in Barangay Kakar.
Datu Odin Sinsuat town is the scene of violent skirmishes between warring factions of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 families.
P18M worth of drugs seized in Northern Mindanao in Q1
Police in Northern Mindanao have seized P18 million worth of illegal drugs during three months of operations starting in January this year.
In a report, Brig. General Ricardo Layug Jr., PNP Northern Mindanao chief, said 813 suspects were arrested during these operations in the nine cities and five provinces in Region 10.
Layug said 19 barangays have been declared as drug-free.
He said the latest anti-drug operation conducted was in Maramag town, Bukidnon where police seized three big plastic sachets worth P879,000.
Layug said police arrested two suspects in the buy-bust operation in Maramag on April 4.
Police officer, Army soldier nabbed for selling unlicensed firearms
Police operatives arrested a female police officer and an Army soldier for trying to sell unlicensed firearms to an undercover cop in Pigkawayan, North Cotabato last weekend.
Lt. Colonel Ariel Huesca, chief of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), identified the suspects as Army Corporal Jaafar Sabturaon of the 1st Brigade Combat Team and Patrolwoman Irish Emoy of the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Section.
“The suspects were arrested after they handed over the firearms and ammunition to a CIDG agent who acted as a buyer,” Huesca said.
He said the P119,000 marked money, two motorcycles, firearms and ammunition were seized from the suspects.