7 killed, 59 arrested in anti-drug ops in CL

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga – Anti-narcotics police have killed seven suspected drug pushers in Bulacan and Bataan in separate police operations conducted in Central Luzon since Wednesday, the regional director (RD) of the police said.

Chief Superintendent Amador V. Corpus, citing reports reaching the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3), here, confirmed the killing of suspects Roberto Morales and Jayson Rodrigo in separate shootouts with police in Barangay Gabon, Abucay, Bataan, last Wednesday.

On the same day, a certain alias “Ben Diesel” and one alias “Ode” were killed while shooting it out with police conducting a buy-bust operation in Barangay Fatima 5, San Jose Del Monte City in Bulacan.

The following day, three more armed drug suspects who allegedly put up a fight were killed in One Time Big Time (OTBT) operations launched by the Police Provincial Office (PPO) elsewhere in Bulacan.

Senior Superintendent Romeo Caramat Jr., Bulacan provincial director (PD), said that although it was unfortunate that three suspects were killed, the OTBT operations involving 18 police stations were successful in arresting 59 drug suspects, three of whom had standing warrants of arrest.

A total of 31 of these were buy-bust operations in which a total of 170 sachets of “shabu” weighing 65.77 grams and five firearms were seized.

Magalang COP sacked Meanwhile, Corpus said the chief of police (COP) of Magalang, Pampanga has been relieved of his post after two of his men were indicted for robbery-extortion.

Corpus said he ordered the relief of Superintendent Al Cabauatan as it is “a matter of standard procedure” while the PRO3 investigates the crime allegedly perpetrated by Senior Police Officer 1 Jessie Mancilla Lopez and Senior Inspector Philipp Pelle.

The two policemen allegedly demanded R30,000 from the wife of an arrested drug suspect. Lopez has been arrested in an entrapment, while Pelle is nowhere to be found.