Four suspected Chinese drug dealers were killed in a shootout with members of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) in Binondo, Manila before dawn yesterday.
Some P1.5 kilos of shabu contained in plastic bags were seized from the suspects' car.
Reports reaching the Manila police showed the incident occured at around past midnight when the four armed Hong Kong nationals allegedly opened fire at pursuing members of PAOCTF under Senior Superintendent Cesar Mancao.
Those killed were identified as Shum Hin Fing, 29, Yeung Cheun, 41, Shawn Heng Fong, 25, and a Li Jia Xiong, all Hong Kong nationals according to identification papers found in their pockets.
According to a report by the Western Police District Intelligence and Investigation Division, the PAOCTF men had been monitoring the movements of the suspects as early as three hours earlier. The group spent their night in a Quezon City club along Quezon Avenue before leaving for Manila about midnight.
PAOCTF operatives trailed the suspects to Binondo, Manila.
It was upon reaching Binondo, the police operatives received an order from their superiors to flagged down the suspects' car, a gray Nissan Sentra without license plates.
But instead of stopping, the suspects' car sped off prompting the police agents to give chase.
The suspects were, however, forced to stop when their car reached a sharp curve and hit a gutter on a corner of Juan Luna street. A brief firefight then ensued.
Three of the suspects were killed inside their car while the fourth suspect, the driver, was shot dead as he tried to flee.
Two caliber .45 and a 9mm pistols were seized in their possession aside from the millions worth of drugs contained in a traveling bag.