Authorities arrested the vice mayor of Datu Unsay, Maguindanao after they recovered P1.36 million worth of shabu and firearms in her house, Monday.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-BARMM at Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-ARMM) had joined forces to conduct a drug raid operation at the vice mayor’s compound in Sitio Ameril, Brgy. Manggay, Talitay.
PDEA-BARMM Director Juvenal Azurin identified the arrested suspect as Datu Unsay Vice Mayor Bai Janine Ameril, wife of former ARMM Assemblyman Sedik Ameril of Maguindanao 2nd District.
Vice mayor was not the original target of the drug raid
According to reports, the security forces were about to serve an arrest warrant to Mike Sittie in the vice mayor’s compound at around 5:00 in the morning. Authorities believed that Sittie was hiding at the vice mayor’s house. However, they missed their target and arrested Vice Mayor Janine Mamalapat instead.
Mike Sittie or also known as Commander Mike, has standing warrants of arrest for kidnapping and illegal detention charges. Judge Lacsaman M. Busran of the Regional Trial Court Branch 36 in Gen. Santos City ordered his arrest.
The authorities recovered P1.36 million worth of shabu, a Winchester caliber-30 rifle with ammunition and another 40 rounds Armalite ammunition from the vice mayor’s house.
The husband of the arrested suspect was a former representative of Maguindanao’s second district in the RLA of the defunct ARMM and had been included in President Rodrigo Duterte’s “narco list.”