ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities apprehended the son of a retired police general and confiscated an estimated PHP29.9 million worth of illegal drugs during a high-stakes anti-drug operation on Monday.
The Police Regional Office in Zamboanga Peninsula (PRO-9) identified the suspect as Ashraf Kayzar Ikbala, 40, a resident of Aurora Village, Barangay Tumaga. Ikbala was arrested in a buy-bust operation at Sitio Palawan, Zone 2, Barangay Divisoria around 11:05 a.m.
The operation was carried out by joint forces from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Naval Intelligence and Security Group-Western Mindanao, and local police units. Authorities seized more than four kilograms of suspected shabu, packed in transparent plastic bags, during the operation.
Police confirmed that Ikbala is the son of a retired police general who once held the position of Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development in the Philippine National Police in 2010.
Ikbala is currently detained at the Zamboanga City Police Office as investigators prepare charges under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
This isn’t Ikbala’s first run-in with the law. Records show he was previously arrested in January 2019 for possessing PHP100,000 worth of illegal drugs during an operation in Barangay Tumaga. Additionally, he was linked to two drug-related cases filed in 2018, resulting in an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
In a separate anti-drug operation on Sunday, police also arrested two individuals at a motel in Barangay Canelar. The suspects, a 38-year-old male jeepney conductor and a 35-year-old female vendor, were caught with approximately 100 grams of suspected shabu valued at PHP680,000.
Both suspects are currently in police custody awaiting the filing of charges.
Authorities emphasize their commitment to cracking down on illegal drug activities in the region, regardless of the suspects’ social or familial connections.