Drug den inside Cotabato gov’t hospital compound dismantled — PDEA

A drug den inside a Cotabato hospital compound is dismantled by PDEA which also arrested four suspects. INQUIRER.net stock photo

COTABATO CITY – Anti-narcotics agents arrested four men and dismantled a drug den inside a government health facility here on Friday, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said.

The drug den was discovered at about 9:30 p.m. inside the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC) where buildings are being built and the suspects are all workers of a private construction firm.

Director Gil Cesario Castro of PDEA in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said joint PDEA and police operatives also seized 14 pieces of plastic sachets containing suspected shabu with an estimated worth of ₱34,000, buy-bust money, assorted drug paraphernalia, and a mobile phone.

Castro identified the apprehended suspects as Alias “Abdul”, 29, who is thought to be the drug den maintainer, Alias “Erano,” 26, Alyas Raminie, 18, and Alias Rino, 25, all construction workers.

Operatives of PDEA have received a tip from concerned construction workers who were alarmed by the presence of prohibited substance inside the working area.

After an informant managed to secure a sachet of shabu inside the construction site, a buy-bust operation was conducted that led to the arrest of the four men.

“The successful dismantling of this drug den is part of PDEA- BARMM’s sustained efforts to eradicate illegal drugs and ensure a safer, drug-free community through focused law enforcement and inter-agency collaboration,” Castro said in a statement./mr