Col. Aden Lagradante, General Santos City police director. (PNA GenSan file photo)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Seven target-listed drug personalities, including two “notorious” pushers from the Zamboanga Peninsula, were killed while five others were arrested in a “one time, big time” anti-drug operation here on Monday.
Col. Aden Lagradante, city police director, said Tuesday the suspects died in separate shootouts with joint operatives during a series of entrapment and follow-up operations in four villages here.
Lagradante said the crackdown was spearheaded by elements of the Police Regional Office-12’s drug enforcement unit, regional intelligence division, and the city police office, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Region 12.
He said suspected shabu pusher Mark Bon Dasal was killed after resisting arrest in a buy-bust operation around 9:40 a.m. in Barangay Fatima.
During the transaction, he said the suspect, who sold a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP500, sensed that he was dealing with a police officer and drew a .38-caliber handgun.
Dasal, who was included on the inter-agency drug information database, was fatally wounded in an ensuing shootout and was declared dead upon arrival at the Dr. Jorge P. Royeca Hospital (DJPRH).
Lagradante said two pushers identified as Andrew Ignacio of Dipolog City and Romel Vailosis Hanio of Zamboanga City died in an encounter with joint operatives around 11:30 a.m. in Barangay Baluan.
He said the suspects, who were temporarily residing in the area, engaged operatives in a shootout and reportedly tried to throw a hand grenade during a buy-bust operation.
The official said the operating team was forced to retaliate, resulting in the killing of the suspects who were declared dead upon arrival at the DJPRH.
Recovered from the suspects were a .38-caliber revolver, a hand grenade, an improvised tooter, and 16 small sachets, and four packs of suspected shabu.
“They had been linked to robbery and other criminal activities and were reportedly a part of a local drug group,” Lagradante told reporters.
An alleged cohort of the slain suspects identified as Joel Espiga was killed in an encounter with police operatives in Purok San Jose, Barangay Baluan while reportedly fleeing around 12:30 p.m.
Lagradante said two other suspected pushers died in another shootout around 12:40 p.m. in Barangay Mabuhay.
Suspects Fernil Licao and Evance Estacio resisted arrest after selling a sachet of shabu worth PHP500 to a police officer who posed as a buyer, police said.
Police said the two were cornered and fatally wounded after engaging the operating team in a brief firefight. They were also declared dead upon arrival at the DJPRH.
Another suspected pusher was slain in an encounter around 4 p.m. in Barangay Apopong, police said.
He said suspect Arman Mato was shot dead by joint operatives after resisting arrest and drawing a handgun during a buy-bust operation inside the Princefield Inn.
Moreover, Lagradante said five suspects were arrested by operatives in separate buy-bust operations in Barangays Labangal, Lagao, Calumpang, and Buayan.
He said suspects Rommel Pallado and Jasper Padilla yielded two sachets of suspected shabu during an entrapment around 9:30 a.m. along the national highway in Espina, Barangay Labangal; while alleged pusher John Mark Cutamora was nabbed around the same time in Barangay Calumpang after selling a sachet of shabu to an undercover police officer.
Two more suspects identified as Marvin Adiam and Herman Gabotero were separately arrested around 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. in buy-bust operations in Barangays Lagao and Buayan, respectively.
Adiam yielded a sachet of suspected shabu while six more were found in Gabotero’s possession, police said.
Lagradante said the five suspects will be charged with violation of Sections 5 and 11 or selling and possession of dangerous drugs, under Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. (PNA)
