Wife of Talitay drug dealer arrested by PDEA agents

MAGUINDANAO --- Anti-narcotics agents on Wednesday seized shabu, assault rifles and explosive projectiles in a raid in Talitay town, touted as the narcotics capital of Maguindanao province.The target of the raid, large-scale drug trafficker Madatu Buisan, had escaped but his wife, Arbaya, who helped him distribute shabu, was arrested.She is now detained at the office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-ARMM) in Cotabato City.Bryan Babang, director of PDEA-ARMM, on Wednesday said the operation that resulted in the arrest of Arbaya was carried out with the help of vigilant Talitay residents who provided information on the activities of the couple.PDEA-ARMM agents recovered from their hideout a customized Bush Master 5.56 caliber assault rifle and an M203 rifle fitted with a launcher for 40 millimeter grenade projectiles.They also confiscated more than P20,000 worth of cash proceeds from drug deals of the Madatu couple for the day, bank receipts indicating more than P100,000 worth of remittances to their supplier of shabu, 11 shoulder-fire grenades and 21 ammunition magazines for the confiscated rifles.Two of Madatu’s henchmen, initially identified only as Jean and Ali, had also eluded arrest.Babang said Madatu’s wife will be prosecuted for violation of the Philippine Dangerous Drugs Act.