PDEA arrests narcopoliticians in Iligan city raid

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) bagged what it called the biggest narcopolticians to date here with the arrest of 3 incumbent politicians.

Members of PDEA Region 10 and ARMM arrested Hussein Magandia, a Provincial Board Member of Lanao del Sur, his wife Norhainah Magandia, son-in-law Amienquialed Dimal, an Incumbent City Councilor of Marawi city and Aktar Magandia, former Chairman of Brgy. Maguing Proper, Maguing Lanao del Sur.

PDEA ARMM regional director Juvenal Azurin said that they have conducted an almost year-long surveillance of the family.

PDEA, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the national police, armed with a search warrant issued by judge Alandrex Betoya, executive judge of RTC branch 16, raided their house in White Flower Street, Sitio Bacayo, Tubod, Iligan City on September 19, 2018.

The raid yielded:

• 1 zip locked large transparent plastic sachet containing suspected shabu weighing 500 grams worth P3.4 million
• 1 pc cal. 357 revolver
• assorted drug paraphernalia
• assorted financial and bank documents

Azurin said that Norhainah Magandia is also first cousin of arrested drug queen Lovely Adams Impal who was arrested in January 2017 by PDEA agents

Azurin added that they are now extracting information from the suspects and the notebooks they confiscated to determine the extent of their illegal drugs operations.

“They are the biggest narcopoliticians we arrested this year,” Azurin said.

Azurin also added that the family did not appeared in President Rodrigo Duterte’s “matrix” of politician involves in drug operations.

PDEA is also augmenting its security protocols around their office in Cagayan de Oro as they have experienced before, after an arrest of a prominent drug dealers Achmad Datumanong Sangcaan, a resident of Marawi City and Mark Bryan Basco in 2014 , their office was attacked by unknown assailants, strafing their office with high powered rifles. – Rappler.com