Republic of the Office of the President PHILIPPINE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY NIA Northside Road, National Government Center Pinyahan, Quezon City

PRESS RELEASE # 228/14 DATE : May 17, 2014 AUTHORITY : UNDERSECRETARY ARTURO G. CACDAC, JR., CEO VI Director General For more information, comments and suggestions please call: Director DERRICK ARNOLD C. CARREON, Director, Public Information Office Tel. No. 929-3244, 927-9702 Loc.131; Cell phone: 09159111585 ______

3 NOTORIOUS PUSHERS BUSTED IN CITY AND

Three suspected notorious drug pushers were arrested by anti-narcotics agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) during separate buy-bust operations in Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental on May 14 and 15, 2014.

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Arturo G. Cacdac, Jr. identified the suspects as Jamel Hadji Taher y Cando, 35 years old, married, a businessman who buys and sells motorcycles, and a resident of Zone 2, Brgy. Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City; Paisal Sarip y Arpimding, 48, sari-sari store owner, residing at Bobong Ramain, Marawi City; and Engerbert Samalik y Dugasan, 44, jobless and a resident of Sitio Talisay, Bgry. Bauk-Bauk, Balingoan, Misamis Oriental.

On May 15, at around 4:00 in the afternoon, elements of PDEA Regional Office 10 (PDEA RO10) under the direct supervision of Director Emerson L. Margate conducted a buy-bust operation at Zone 2, Brgy. Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City which resulted in the arrest of Taher and Sarip after they agreed to sell one heat- sealed transparent plastic sachet suspected shabu.

Recovered from Taher and Sarip were one large heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet, three heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets in different sizes weighing approximately five grams, one blue Kawasaki Rouser motorcycle, one Samsung cellular phone and two P500 bills used as marked money during the operation.

The pieces of drug evidence were brought to the PDEA RO10 Laboratory Service for forensic examination.

The suspects are currently under the custody of the PDEA RO10 jail facility and will be charged for violation of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

On May 14, 2014, at around 4:30 pm, the same law enforcement unit conducted a buy-bust operation at Brgy. Bauk-Bauk, Balingoan, Misamis Oriental that led to the arrest of Samalik after a PDEA undercover agent was able to buy one small heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing suspected shabu. Also confiscated from Samalik were three pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing shabu, one large heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing suspected shabu and P1060 cash in various denominations used as marked money.

Samalik is now temporarily detained at the Balingoan Municipal Police Station, while a case for violation of Section 5, Article II of RA 9165 is being filed in court against him. # # #