Drug trader surrenders

BAGUIO CITY — A big-time drug trader surrendered to the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) yesterday afternoon, three days after engaging law enforcers in a shootout and a brief chase as they were about to arrest him.

Suspect Abdul Raman Abdullahi was accompanied by his sister and lawyer to the BCPO’s intelligence unit office, wherein his sister Dana negotiated with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong earlier in the morning.

He was given only six hours to surface and surrender to authorities after Thursday night’s shootout with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Cordillera operatives along Upper Malvar Street, Baguio City.

PDEA-Cordillera regional director Gil Castro ordered operatives to track Abdullahi, 28, who was infamous for smuggling huge amounts of suspected shabu from the lowlands, after a near-sting operation 10 p.m. Thursday that resulted into a brief shootout.

Abdullahi, who was with a still unidentified driver on board a maroon Mitsubishi Montero SUV, was supposed to hand out the contraband to an undercover agent when he noticed government agents nearby.

This prompted the suspect to speed uphill and run over a PDEA van twice before firing shots from a semi-automatic gun at the agents inside the van, hitting the van’s windshield at the driver side.

The PDEA agents inside the van fired back, maneuvered and chased but failed to catch up on Abdullahi’s vehicle.

At around 8 a.m. Friday, barangay chairman Michael Mariñas of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Lower QM reported that the suspect’s vehicle was found abandoned along Dr. Carino Street, which prompted members of the Baguio City Police Station 2 under chief PCapt. Jeremiah Benito to join the pursuit operations against Abdullahi.