One killed in Liloan drug bust

CEBU, Philippines - One died and seven were arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) yesterday afternoon in Sitio Molave, Barangay Tayud, Liloan.

The casualty was only identified as a certain Richard who according to the police resisted arrest. He was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician at the Eversley Child Sanitarium in Barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City due to a gunshot wound in the body.

Operatives also recovered several packs of shabu worth P500,000, assorted firearms, weighing scale, drug paraphernalia, assorted ammunitions, magazines, a bullet vest and a ledger notebook with P1.7 million collectibles at the apartment unit of a certain Bebot Pepito, the subject of the operation.

Supt. Rodolfo Albotra, PIB chief, told The FREEMAN that Richard pulled out a hand grenade upon sensing the presence of operatives, prompting one of the team members to shoot him.

“No choice ang tropa kaysa sila ang maunhan,” Albotra said in a phone interview. (The team had no choice but to protect themselves.)

Pepito was occupying two apartment units. The firearms seized were an Ingram, KG9 sub-machine gun, .45 pistols, .357 revolvers, 22 magnum, and 9mm revolver. Pepito and his wife, a certain Isyat, eluded arrest before the operatives completed the transaction.

SPO1 Reynaldo Solante said a poseur buyer was about to make a transaction with Pepito using P15,000-marked money in exchange for a three-gram pack of shabu at around 3:00 p.m. But somebody called Pepito’s cellular phone, prompting him to hand over the poseur buyer’s transaction to a companion.

“Siya unta to unya murag dunay nitawag gipasa among poseur buyer unya gidala sa sulod (apartment),” Solante said in a phone interview. (He had to take a call so someone else attended to our poseur buyer who was taken inside the apartment.)

Operatives saw in plain view the assorted firearms while three women and four men were repacking shabu.  Pepito and his wife boarded their vehicle and left the place.

“Wa mi kabantay nga mao na diay tong sakyanan nga nigawas unya maoy pay pag-signal sa poseur buyer namo kay nalangay kay nagtimbang pa,” Solante said. (We did not realize they were onboard the vehicle that got out. It so happened that our poseur buyer already gave the signal for us to go inside.)

Albotra said the shabu was about to be delivered in different towns in Northern Cebu.

“Ang mga tao ani inig pahatod na sa drugas possible gyud padad-an ug armas,” he said. (People tasked to deliver the shabu also carry firearms with them.)

Pepito is in the watchlist of PIB and is a level two drug pusher.

Four of the seven who were arrested were 30-year-old Bonifacio Labrador of Lawaan, Danao City; 33-year-old Bernard Roble of Sta. Rosa, Danao City; Jaime Merabaol, 30, and Rey Sabas, 22, of Taboc, Mandaue City.

The names of the three others were not available as of press time. — /JPM (FREEMAN)