POLICE Chief Ronald dela Rosa said Tuesday they had busted a gang supplying the Abu Sayyaf and warlords in Mindanao with weapons, and that their base of operations was just beside Camp Crame following the arrest of the gang’s leader and four members.
He presented gang leader Unding Kenneth Isa and members Hja Risdimona Isa, Aljamer Akarab, Mandih, Hurbin Alhi Sahibul.
He said the confiscated armaments were worth more than P6 million.
Dela Rosa made his statement even as a military official said some rouges in the Armed Forces were selling guns and ammunition to crime syndicates.
Dela Rosa said the high-powered firearms were found during a search conducted on Sept. 24 by members of the Anti-Transnational Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in San Juan City.
ACTU head Roque Merdeguia Jr. said the arms cache included M203 grenade launchers, M14 and M16 rifles and thousands of ammunition.
He said the CIDG uncovered Isa and a certain alias Wahid’s operation in July 2016 after receiving information about them.
He said both suspects were natives of Indanan, Sulu, who supplied armaments to the Abu Sayyaf and the warlords in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“From Manila, they deliver the arms and ammunition to Zamboanga, then to Jolo in Sulu using SUVs,” Merdeguia said.
“Their activities intensified before the 2016 national elections in which Isa reportedly ran for Sulu vice governor but eventually lost.”
Merdeguia said that in August 2016 the two and some unidentified Abu Sayyaf members were in Manila to buy M203 and M14 firearms, explosives and thousands of ammunition on the orders of an unidentified Abu Sayyaf commander.
“Allegedly, the ASG is now strengthening their armaments to fight government forces in Sulu and Basilan and to intensify their kidnapping and bombing operations,” Merdeguia said.
“The same group was able to buy firearms and ammos and were planning to transport and deliver them to Basilan and Sulu to the ASG.”