COTABATO CITY (April 12, 2026) —- Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and policemen shut down another drug den in this city and detained its three operators in an anti-narcotics operation early Sunday, April 12, carried out with the help of barangay and city officials.

The suspects, Esmail Ayob Dalama, 56, Bulljack Guiwan Dalama, 49, and the 45-year-old Toting Dus Dalama, are now in the custody of the PDEA-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Edgar Jubay, PDEA-BARMM’s regional director, told reporters on Sunday afternoon that their agents, backed by operatives from different units of the Cotabato City Police Office, immediately arrested the three men after turning over to them shabu during a tradeoff in right in their drug den in Barangay Poblacion 1 in this city.

Jubay said the operation that led to the arrest of the three men and confiscation from them of P170,000 worth of shabu was based on reports by villagers to barangay officials and to Cotabato City Mayor Bruce Matabalao about their operation of a drug den in Barangay Poblacion 1.

Confidential informants, among them close relatives of the suspects, have confirmed to PDEA-BARMM agents that the three of them connived in facilitating pot sessions for buyers of their illegal merchandise in their drug den.

Under state law, drug den operation is a non-bailable criminal offense.

Agents of the PDEA-BARMM and units of the Cotabato City police, under its director, Col. Jibin Bongcayao, had closed down, in the past 12 months, more than 10 drug dens around in operations enforced with the help of vigilant barangay leaders and the office of Matabalao, who, as mayor, is also presiding chairperson of the city’s multi-sector peace and order council.

Local executives and officials of the Cotabato City police force had assured to help the PDEA-BARMM prosecute the now detained Dalamas for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. [][][]