EVIDENCE. The confiscated pieces of evidence that include firearms and illegal drugs during a police operation in Barangay Mahipon, Gapan City, Nueva Ecija on Saturday (July 16, 2022). Arrested was an alleged leader of a robbery and illegal drugs group and his three companions. (Contributed photo)
GAPAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – An alleged leader of a robbery and illegal drugs group was caught in a shabu session along with three other companions in a police operation in Barangay Mahipon on Saturday.
The arrests were the result of the service of a search warrant against the alleged gang head Marlon Salvador, 37, of the said village.
The three other suspects were identified as Richard Ising, 40, of Minit, Surigao del Norte; and siblings Arnel and Raymond Morales, 29 and 39 years old, respectively, of Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, who are temporarily staying in Barangay Bungo, this city.
Lt. Col. Alexie Desamito, city police chief, said in a report on Sunday that Salvador is a high-value target and among Central Luzon's top 10 drug personalities.
She said they conducted the search on Salvador's residence with the support of other police units on the strength of a warrant issued by the Gapan City Regional Trial Court.
"During the implementation, the suspects were surprised and caught while in the act of sniffing suspected shabu (pot session)," Desamito said.
Operatives seized from the suspects one shotgun, one .22 caliber rifle, one .38 caliber revolver, an airgun, a hand grenade, and several rounds of bullets.
They also confiscated six sachets of shabu weighing 40.4 grams with an estimated value of PHP274,720, and other paraphernalia.
Charges for violation of Republic Acts 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act) and 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act) are now being readied for filing against the suspects. (PNA)
