AFTER a long surveillance of him by drug operatives, the gig is up for a drugs dealer and his wife. Both originally are from the South.

Michael Bagul, 49, president of the Dagupan Muslim Association and his wife Anna Liza, 40, were arrested in an entrapment conducted by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at their residence in Tondaligan Bonuan.

The two were tagged as number 1 and 2, respectively in the Drug Watch List of hydrochloride or shabu.

Agents of PDEA Region 1 pounced on the Bagul couple Wednesday after the suspects sold shabu to a PDEA agent who posed as buyer. They were quickly whisked to the PDEA regional office for tactical interrogation.

Cases for violation of Section 5 of Article 2 of Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are set to be filed against the suspects.

The suspects denied they were into illegal drugs.

Bagul has often met with successive police chiefs of the city to pledge support to the anti-drugs drive and even vowed to report fellow Muslims who engage in the illegal drugs trade and seek refuge in the Muslim compound at Tondaligan.

Senior Superintendent Jane Aonso, PDEA Region 1 director in a phone interview to a local radio station urged the public to cooperate in exposing drug activities in their communities to prevent the social damage inflicted by drug traders especially on the youth.