Owner of security agency nabbed for gunrunning

An owner of a security agency has been arrested by police in Sampaloc, Manila over the weekend for gunrunning.

The arrest of Gilda Toledo, 38, a widow, and owner of Philippine Guard and Security Services Inc., was an offshoot of a recent directive by Chief Superintendent Ricardo Dapat, chief of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), to neutralize the sources of illegal firearms being used by criminals in their illegal activities.

According to Western CIDG chief Superintendent Nelson Yabut, one of his agents managed to buy two caliber .38 paltik revolvers from Toledo last Jan. 6.

After getting certification from gun manufacturer Armscor Inc. and the PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Division that Toledo was not a licensed arms dealer, the Western CIDG secured a search warrant from Judge Antonio Eugenio of Regional Trial Court Branch 24.

Inside Toledos’ office at the Don Lorenzo Building on P. Paredes street, Sampaloc, an undercover officer managed to buy five caliber .38 revolvers from the suspect for P15,000 last Friday.

After giving the pre-arranged signal, CIDG operatives posted nearby swooped down on the suspect’s office. The search also yielded two more caliber .38 revolvers and a booklet of receipts showing past gun purchases from the suspect.

According to Toledo, she sourced the guns from gunmakers in Cebu which she delivered in Manila by land to escape checkpoints.

She admitted selling the guns to other security agencies and private individuals without the necessary permits.

When brought for inquest, Prosecutor Glenda Ramos recommended the initial filing of illegal possession of gun charges against the suspect with P80,000 bail for her temporary release. — Nestor Etolle