North Cotabato cops nab traffic enforcer for drug peddling

KIDAPAWAN CITY– Operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Central Mindanao (Region 12) arrested a traffic enforcer in a buy-bust raid in nearby President Roxas town in North Cotabato, around 11 a.m., Friday. Authorities identified the suspect as Conrad Sandoy Tampus, a Job Order employee of the President Roxas municipal government assigned at the Traffic Management Unit (TMU). PDEA-12 operatives, led by Agent Blessy, recovered from Tampus two pieces of heat sealed transparent plastic sachet containing white crystalline substance believed to be shabu cash disposable lighter and other drug paraphernalia. Tampus was placed under custody of the President Roxas municipal police office. The raid took place after reports came out that selling of shabu in towns of President Roxas, Magpet, and Makilala, all in North Cotabato, is like ‘hot cakes’. In nearby Magpet, for example, reports reaching PDEA and other apprehending units said that a police officer is suspected to be a protector of drug dealers whose area of operations includes the town’s Poblacion and other villages. Senior Inspector Felix Fornan, chief of Magpet PNP, refused to identify the police officer believed to be involved in drug trafficking for lack of enough evidences. In Makilala town, also in North Cotabato, police identified a big-time drug dealer who has allegedly ‘strong’ connections with the local government as one of the dropping points” of shabu coming from Cotabato City and other parts of Maguindanao. The police has also refused to name the drug dealer.