Firearms, drugs seized: Police arrest 2 known "robbers, drug pushers"

CEBU, Philippines – Various unlicensed firearms and packs of shabu were seized yesterday morning from two houses in Sitio Riverside, Barangay Hipodromo, Cebu City, where the police also arrested five men for illegal gambling.

Accompanied by barangay tanods as witnesses, members of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) implemented a search warrant first in the house of Bonifacio Sanchez Jr. alias "Bonet."

Authorities also had a warrant to search the neighboring house owned by Bonet's friend, Archie Russel alias "Maloy." Russel, however, was inside Sanchez's house where he was arrested when the police raided it.

According to CCPO Director Melvin Buenafe, Sanchez and Russel are known robbers in the barangay where they have a robbery group. The police also added that the two are also involved in drug pushing and gang wars.

In Sanchez's house, the police recovered one Colt .45 caliber pistol, one Safari .45 caliber pistol, two magazines of .45 caliber, 10 live ammunitions, 10 medium plastic packs containing white crystalline substance believed to be "shabu", a digital weighing scale and a sniffing and repacking paraphernalia.

The raiding team also arrested five men for illegal gambling inside Sanchez's house. Those who were caught playing a card game known as tong-its were Michael Makalisang Aguipo, 33, Joel Narca Aldea, 41, Norman Parado Laurel, 30, Rommel Romero Medicu, 40, and Rommel Opoc Tundag, 40. All five were from Barangay Hipodromo.

The police conducted a body search on them and found one .38 home-made revolver from Medicu and confiscated eight small plastic packs containing white crystalline substance from Tundag.

From Sanchez's house, the team proceeded to the house of Russel. During the search, they found 15 medium heat-sealed transparent plastic packs of shabu, one Colt Mark IV .45 caliber pistol with serial number 762528, one (1) Colt Mark IV .45 caliber pistol with serial number 888307, six magazines of .45 caliber pistol, 89 bullets for a .45 caliber and 14 empty shells of a .45 caliber.

The police also found paraphernalia for sniffing and repacking illegal drugs.

Buenafe said they call on the public to report on groups or individuals involved in illegal gambling and other crimes in their place. (FREEMAN)