BACNOTAN, La Union – A Muslim couple was arrested for illegal possession of explosives, drugs, guns, and ammunition while visiting a friend in Barangay Guinabang here Tuesday.
Senior Inspector Fredilex Marron, the town’s police chief, identified the suspects as Jabar Masorong, 32, and his wife Asnaimah Macalanggan-Masorong, both residents of Barameda St., Taguig City. They were allegedly visiting a certain Joel Valmonte during their arrest.
Marron said that a hand grenade, a homemade pistol, a caliber 38, 10 big sachets of shabu with undetermined amount, several ammunitions and drug paraphernalia were seized from the couple by the joint operatives of Bacnotan police, the Provincial Intelligence Branch headed by Supt. Eduardo Danguecan, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 1, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Initial investigation showed that the couple went to the area and contacted a friend allegedly to transact business but an informant tipped off policemen that the deal was allegedly involved illegal drugs.
Danguecan said that immediately upon receiving the information, the police formed a team and conducted a buy-bust operation that resulted to the arrest of the suspects.
The couple was detained at the Bacnotan municipal jail for the violation of illegal possession of explosive, firearms, and violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
He said the arrest of the couple is part of the unrelenting and uncompromising effort of the law enforcers to rid the municipality of the proliferation of illegal drug pushers and users to prevent today’s youth from being compromised through the use of the illegal drugs that continue to be traded in the locality.
The police official called on concerned residents in the different barangays to report to the law enforcers the presence of suspicious-looking individuals in their places so that appropriate surveillance operations could be done and to ascertain whether or not the said individuals are involved in the use of the prohibited drugs being sold provincewide.
