3 drug suspects killed for 'resisting arrest' in S. Kudarat

TACURONG CITY--Police neutralized three big-time drug personalities for reportedly resisting arrest during simultaneous law enforcement operations in Barangay Villamor, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat.

In a report released Thursday, Chief Supt. Eliseo Tam Rasco, director of Police Regional Office-12 (Soccsksargen), identified those killed in early Tuesday's raids as Salipuden Sampulna, Mackoy Guiemandal, and Lakmodin Atam, all residents of Barangay Villamor, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat.

“The three suspects got killed separately after resisting arrest,” Rasco said.

Rasco said operating units, consisting of personnel from the Regional and Provincial Drug Enforcement Units and Esperanza town police, were armed with search warrants for violation of Republic Act 9165 (anti-drug law) and RA 10591 (illegal possession of firearms and explosives) against the three suspects.

At about 4:40 a.m., police knocked on the house of Sampulna, but police said he resisted by attempting to pull the safety pin of a hand grenade he was holding. This prompted police to fire at him.

Seized from Sampulna’s home were four empty shells for 9mm pistol and a fragmentation grenade.

Roughly at the same time, another police unit served search warrant against Guiemandal in the same village.

Rasco said Guiemandal resisted arrest by firing his .38-caliber revolver towards the operating troops, triggering a brief shootout that resulted in the death of the suspect.

In a separate raid, police also served the search warrant against Atam, also in Barangay Villamor, but he resisted arrest by firing his .38-caliber revolver that prompted the cops to fire back.

Police said they found in Atam’s possession a .38-caliber pistol, empty shells for 9mm, ammunition for .45-caliber pistol and M16 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, and three sachets of suspected shabu (crystal meth).

Citing a police report from the Esperanza police, Rasco said all suspects were separately rushed to the hospital in Poblacion Esperanza but were declared dead on arrival. (PNA)