‘Drug lord’ opens up on his Bohol cohorts

CEBU, Philippines - Police were able to get what they described “vital information” on Dominador Hera’s alleged cohorts in Bohol after a custodial investigation.

Hera was the region’s sixth most wanted person before he fell to the hands of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group-7 and Bohol police last week.

Superintendent Marvin Sanchez, chief of RAIDSOTG-7, was quoted as saying that Hera mentioned “names” during the investigation.

However, Supt. Sanchez did not divulge their names, saying they are still under verification.

If they find out that the information they obtained from Hera is accurate, another arrest is expected to take off, the police official said.

Aside from Hera’s reported confession, pieces of information from concerned citizens are slowly coming in, according to Supt. Sanchez. But the same are also still being verified.

The police are also checking how extensive Hera’s network is since he was originally based in Barangay Pasil, Cebu City.

They are also looking at the possibility of him being linked to the slain former police officer Owen Rosales.

Police claimed they found out that after Hera was arrested and released for drug charges, he started to build his network and has been operating in Bohol, Cordova town, Mactan island and the province of Cebu.

Last Thursday, Hera was arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Macaundas Hadjirasul.

Seven large packs and two medium packs of suspected shabu were confiscated from him. Also recovered from his possession were a Garand rifle, a .357 revolver, a .9mm pistol and an AR15 rifle with several rounds of assorted ammunition.

Chief Superintendent Prudencio Tom Bañas, Police Regional Office-7 director, said Hera’s arrest was significant as he told the media that the confiscation of P11.8 million worth of suspected shabu has been their “biggest catch” so far.

He congratulated his men for their relentless effort in the campaign against illegal drugs.

Since Bañas assumed as director, the office has confiscated a total of over P100 million worth of drugs, gaining the reputation of being the leading regional office with the most intensive effort in the fight against the social menace.   (FREEMAN)