COTABATO CITY โ In a surprising turn of events, families of three drug dealers played a key role in their arrest, proving that when faced with the choice between loyalty and justice, some choose the greater good.
For years, Montasser Amat was known in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, as a major player in the local drug trade. His operations were discreet, his movements calculated, and his network wide-reaching.
On The Side of Justice
But what he did not anticipate was that his downfall would come from those closest to himโhis own relatives.
It was Amatโs own kin who tipped off the Sultan Kudarat Municipal Police Station about his illegal activities, leading to a well-coordinated entrapment operation on Thursday, March 13.
The police, led by Lt. Col. Esmael Madin, acted swiftly, catching Amat red-handed as he sold 150 grams of shabu worth P1 million to undercover officers in Barangay Makir. When the reality of his betrayal set in, Amat surrendered without resistance, perhaps realizing that the very people he trusted had chosen to stand on the side of justice.
‘Rare and Commendable’
Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, praised the courage of Amatโs relatives.
“They took a bold step in helping us take down a major shabu distributor. Not only did they provide us with crucial information, but they also vowed to help identify his accomplices. This is a rare and commendable act,” Macapaz said.
Amat was not the only one whose family turned against him this week. In a similar operation in Dipolog City, agents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-9 (PDEA-9) arrested Louie Jay Ugsimar on Tuesday, March 11, after his own uncles provided authorities with details about his drug activities. The operation, carried out in Barangay Galas, resulted in the seizure of P340,000 worth of shabu.
Maharani Gadaoni-Tosoc, director of PDEA-9, acknowledged the risk taken by Ugsimarโs relatives.
The public support for our campaign has helped us a lot, she said.
Drug Dealer in Zamboanga
Meanwhile, in Zamboanga City, another drug dealer, Ronald Doble, met a similar fate.
Along Villalobos Street in Barangay Zone IV, PDEA-9 and local police entrapped Doble. The operatives seized from him some 200 grams of shabu valued at P1.3 million.
Once again, his downfall was set in motion by those closest to him. Relatives who had witnessed his descent into the drug trade decided to act. They provided confidential information that helped authorities build their case.
“To the tipsters who provided very valuable information about the illegal activities of these two now-detained individuals, we are thankful,” Gadaoni-Tosoc said.
The decisions made by these families were not easy. Betrayal, guilt, and even fear for their safety must have weighed heavily on them.
But in the end, they chose to break the cycle, to protect their communities rather than shield their own. Their courage sends a powerful message. That in the fight against illegal drugs, sometimes the hardest decisions are the most necessary ones.
Their actions may have saved countless lives, and perhaps, even the lives of those they turned in.
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