MANILA, Philippines - A “volunteer†of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was killed while four others were wounded when a drug raid turned bloody in Phase 12, Caloocan City yesterday.
Authorities have yet to determine how many bullets from Armalite and M-14 rifles pierced the body of Larry Sultan.
Volunteer Juan Suarez and two others were brought to the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City for treatment of gunshot wounds, mostly in the feet and legs.
Phase 12 in Tala, North Caloocan is a narrow gated Muslim community in Barangay 188. The area is near the house of Stephanie Nicole Ella, the seven-year-old girl who was killed by a stray bullet during New Year’s Eve.
The place is allegedly “notorious†for its illegal drug trade and has been branded by police as the most dangerous area in the district of Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela), sources said.
Tricycle drivers, who are residents of a nearby barangay, are afraid to ferry passengers to and from the area. Following Ella’s death, they said “people do not enter the area without a good reason because they sometimes just get shot.â€
Even police officers are particularly cautious when entering Phase 12 – at least 100 policemen in full battle gear make up a raiding team.
Overpowered
Sultan and four other volunteers (also known as force multipliers) were waiting by the cars of NBI agents from the bureau’s Counter-Intelligence Division (CID) at about 5:30 a.m. when they were attacked by still unidentified men.
“The gunshots came from different directions,†said Reynaldo Esmeralda, NBI’s deputy director for intelligence services.
The volunteers shot back but were overpowered. One of the attackers was shot, and NBI agents are checking hospitals in Metro Manila for the wounded gunman.
When the gunfight ended, more than 100 bullet shells were recovered at the scene, Esmeralda said.
According to CID head agent Dave Segunial, his men – led by special investigator Roland Fernandez – started casing the area on Nov. 21 to verify reports that a certain Aslam Rumuros “Mikmik†Macadao was peddling shabu.
“There were reports that (Macadao) was notorious for selling shabu,†Segunial said.
When the operation was finalized, 20 NBI agents led by Fernandez raided Macadao’s house on King Arthur Street in Phase 12. They found shabu worth P100,000 but the owner was missing.
The volunteers, meanwhile, stayed outside the house, and guarded the team’s five vehicles. Suddenly, gunshots came from three directions, killing Sultan.
Segunial said more than 20 people allegedly involved in the shooting were rounded up. Seized from them were four high-powered firearms.