2 NOTORIOUS LADY PUSHERS, EX-BARANGAY CAPTAIN BUSTED IN ARMM

Three drug personalities in the watchlist of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency including two notorious female pushers and a former barangay official, were busted by joint elements of the PDEA and local law enforcement units in separate anti-drug operations conducted in Cotabato City and North Cotabato on October 21, 2011.

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Jose S. Gutierrez, Jr. identified the suspects as Diamon Abela, 27; Laheya Ayyub, 26; and Abdullah Macarimbang, 49, alias “Chairman”.

After months of surveillance, Abela and Ayyub - two notorious lady pushers - were arrested by joint operatives of PDEA Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-ARMM), under the supervision of Director Edwin Layese, and the Marine Battalion Landing Team 7. The duo sold two heat-sealed plastic sachets containing shabu to an undercover PDEA agent along Tulingan St., Bagua II in Cotabato City. The operatives were able to recover the P200 buy-bust money from the suspects and further search conducted yielded two more sachets of shabu and assorted drug paraphernalia from the possession of the suspects.

Later in the day, PDEA ARMM, supported by elements of the Midsayap Police Station, apprehended Macarimbang, a former barangay captain of Barangay Pinantao, Parang Maguindanao and a suspected member of a big-time drug syndicate operating in Midsayap and nearby municipalities and as far as Davao City. He entered into a transaction with a poseur-buyer and after several changes of venue, he was finally busted in a restaurant along Quezon Avenue, Poblacion 5, Midsayap, North Cotabato, after personally delivering two plastic sachets of shabu in exchange for P35,000.

Abela, Ayyub and Macarimbang now face charges for violation of section 5 (selling), Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. All three are temporarily detained at the PDEA ARMM detention facility.

Gutierrez lauded the Philippine National Police and Philippine Marines for their support in the successful conduct of the operations that resulted in the arrest of the three watchlisted drug personalities. Evangeline DJ Almenario, Chief, Public Information Office, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency