ARMED with warrants from a Kabacan, North Cotabato court, lawmen swooped down on four areas owned by Libungan Mayor Christopher Cuan before dawn Saturday and seized several high-powered firearms and hundreds of live ammunition.
But Central Mindanao regional police chief Supt. Romeo Galgo Jr. said they found no drugs at the three houses owned by Cuan in Barangay Kabayuran in Libungan, North Cotabato.
Galgo said Judge Alandrex Betoya of Regional Trial Court Branch 16 in Kabacan, North Cotabato issued at least 20 search warrants for illegal firearms and illegal drugs but the police found only the weapons were served around 3 a.m. Saturday.
Recovered from Cuan’s home were an M-16 Armalite rifle, a 12-gauge shot gun, two caliber 45 pistols (Para 1911 and Colt), caliber 5.56 bushmaster and hundreds of ammunition and magazines for various calibers.
The raid was carried out by joint forces from the Regional Anti-illegal Drug Task Group, North Cotabato Criminal Investigation and Detection Team along with personnel from Libungan Municipal Police Station.
North Cotabato provincial police director Senior Superintendent Emmanuel Peralta said Cuan had no documents to prove that he legally owned the firearms and ammunitions.
The mayor was placed under the custody of the CIDT North Cotabato while charges of illegal possession of guns and ammunition are being prepared against him in court.
