CASH REWARD. Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula (PRO-9) director Brig. Gen. Franco Simborio, during a ceremony at Camp Abendan in Barangay Mercedes on Tuesday (Dec. 28, 2021), hands over the cash reward to the informant who provided vital information that led to the arrest of three high-value drug suspects and confiscation of PHP6.8 million worth of shabu in Zamboanga City. The anti-drug operation was carried out last Sunday in Barangay Upper Calarian. (Photo courtesy of PRO-9) ZAMBOANGA CITY - The Police Regional Office - Zamboanga Peninsula (PRO-9) on Tuesday handed over a cash reward to an informant who provided vital information that led to the confiscation of PHP6.8 million worth of shabu and the arrest of three high-value suspects here. Brig. Gen. Franco Simborio, PRO-9 director, assisted by Col. Rexmel Reyes, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, handed over the reward in a ceremony at Camp Abendan, the PRO-9 headquarters in Barangay Mercedes. "The amount received by our informant is a monetary consideration offered by the government for information that led to the arrest or neutralization of high-value Individuals," Simborio said as he declined to reveal the amount of cash the informant got. Witnessing the ceremony were members of the operating team from the ZCPO's Station 11, the City Drug Enforcement Unit, and the 2nd City Mobile Force "Seaborne" Company. The three high-value suspects, one of them a former soldier, were arrested in an anti-drug operation Sunday in Purok 2, Phase 1 at Lobregat village in Barangay Calarian. They were identified as Jaafar Ekong, 51, a former soldier who went on absence without official leave; Darwisa Ibbo, 48; and, Toto Samson, 32, all of Jolo, Sulu. Seized from the three were a kilo of suspected shabu worth PHP6.8 million, PHP1,499,000 boodle money topped with a genuine PHP1,000 bill as marked money placed in a face mask box, and a cellular phone. Simborio, together with Reyes, thanked the informant for providing timely information leading to the arrest of the suspects. He urged residents to report to authorities any suspicious individuals or illegal activities taking place in their communities. "The fight against illegal drugs, criminality and the preservation of peace is a shared responsibility of everyone so we should all do our part in this whole of nation approach towards peace and development," Simborio said. He assured the public that all information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. (PNA) }