DAVAO CITY JAIL DRUG RAID: 4 INMATES DEAD

DAVAO CITY— Four inmates were killed, while a jail officer tested positive for drug use following a raid at the city jail here by authorities early on Saturday, police said.

Three policemen were also wounded after the antidrug sweep on the Davao City Jail degenerated into chaos, with inmates armed with a homemade gun and bladed weapons attacking officers.

A report from the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) identified the fatalities as inmates Alvin Celis, Dexter Delfino, Flor Leonard Resturo and Jerry Fernandez.

Wounded were a policeman identified only as Dela Fuente and two other police officers—Vincent Lomoljo and one identified only as Uyanguren.

Team of 1,000

At least 1,000 policemen, soldiers and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency carried out Operation Greyhound starting around 3 a.m.

Members of the raiding team searched the jail and subjected inmates and jail officers to drug tests.

Chief Insp. Roman Hernandez, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology administrator in Davao del Sur, and nine inmates tested positive for drugs.

The DCPO report said violence erupted as inmates of cell No. 18 were being subjected to body search and drug tests around 10:30 a.m., or seven hours after the raid started.

Four inmates refused to come out and one pulled out a homemade gun and fired at a police officer identified only as Cameros, who was hit in the chest but was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Cameros fired back at the inmate.

Melee

As other officers tried to restrain the other inmates, other detainees lunged at the policemen with bladed weapons, prompting the officers to shoot and try to immobilize them.

The wounded inmates were rushed to the Southern Philippines Medical Center where four died while being treated.

Recovered at cell No. 18 were two packs of suspected “shabu” (crystal meth) worth P160,000, several drug paraphernalia and deadly weapons.

An investigation is now focused onhowdrugs and weapons were able to find their way into the jail.