2 drug suspects shot dead, 17 nabbed

MANILA, Philippines -  Two more drug suspects were killed and 14 others arrested across the country on Wednesday.

Arnel Vasquez, alias Puroy, was brushing his teeth when two men whose faces were covered by handkerchiefs, barged into his house in Barangay Poblacion Norte in Paracale, Camarines Norte and shot him several times.

Senior Inspector Manuel Sarmiento, town police chief, said the victim surrendered under Oplan Tokhang last year.

Jose Yarandel was walking in Sita Roma in Barangay Gaya-Gaya in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan when unidentified men fired at him at around 7:15 p.m.

The daughter of the victim told police her father was involved in illegal drugs when they were living in Cavite, but he stopped when they transferred to Bulacan in 2015.

Nine others were arrested in Bulacan among them Angelo de los Santos and Catherine Manahan of Barangay Lolomboy in Bocaue. They yielded 20 sachets of shabu with an estimated street value of P25,000, police said.

Jericho Gazmin, alias Pikoy; Dulce Segovia, Robert de Leon and Mary Rose de Leon were collared in Sitio Balutan, Barangay Bagbaguin in Santa Maria. Police said 10 sachets of shabu with an estimated value of P3,000 were recovered from the suspects.

Roderick Miguel, Sherwin Nazer and John Christian Eusebio were collared in Barangay Camias in San Miguel. They allegedly yielded three sachets of shabu.

In Isabela, police said nine sachets of shabu and assorted ammunition were recovered during a raid on the house of bus driver Edirick Salvador in Barangay Dibuluan in Jones town; five sachets, drug paraphernalia and ammunition from bus conductor Flavy Gammad in Barangay Castillo in Echague and two Armalite rifles and a caliber .45 pistol from Arturo Acosta Jr. in Barangay Bagong Sikat in Alicia.

Bernard Cunanan and Rose Marie Mijares were nabbed in Barangay Ninoy Aquino in Angeles City, Pampanga. They reportedly yielded 12 sachets of shabu.

A 14-year-old girl and a pregnant woman were collared in stings in Barangay Fisheries Road in Sara, Iloilo.

Angelica Padua, 23, is among the top drug suspects in the town, said Chief Inspector Charlie Sustento, provincial drug enforcement unit team leader.

Sustento said Padua gets her supply of shabu from the group of Arturo Balume, alias Pedic, the most wanted drug personality in Iloilo.

Laborer Mark Anthony King was arrested based on a warrant for illegal drugs issued by Branch 39 of the Daet Regional Trial Court.