Couple shot dead; P2.7M of shabu seized from them
A SUSPECTED hitman and his live-in partner were killed in a shootout with anti-narcotics operatives in Sitio Mananga 2, Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City past 2 p.m. Monday, March 25.
Alex Cuyogan died on the spot. His partner Johanna Mae Dilar was rushed to the hospital, but she was declared dead on arrival.
Operatives seized several packs of shabu that weighed 400 grams and with an estimated street value of P2.7 million. Police also recovered Cuyogan’s .45 pistol.
According to Senior Insp. Alejandro Batobalonos, Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit chief, Cuyogan, who was accompanied by Dilar, didn’t realize he was dealing with the police until after the transaction was completed.
Cuyogan reportedly pulled out a gun and opened fire at the operatives, who retaliated and hit him.
During the shootout, Cuyogan and Dilar barged into the house of the Prajes family.
Resty Abellana, 23, was hit in the stomach during the crossfire.
Batobalonos said the suspect was also a gun-for-hire and was considered “armed and dangerous” because he had killed several persons.
“He was the most notorious hitman in Mananga. He had killed a lot of people. We have a lot of unsolved murders because of him,” he said in Cebuano.
In a Superbalita Cebu Facebook Live interview, Marissa Prajes said Cuyogan was a known neighborhood toughie. She said the suspect had accosted her husband and even taken his motorcycle.
Tabunok Councilor Vicente Rabaya echoed her sentiment, saying Cuyogan was feared in the neighborhood.
He said the barangay had received several complaints against Cuyogan, one of which was the suspect’s penchant to fire his gun indiscriminately when he got angry.
“We’re grateful to residents who finally found the nerve to tell police that Cuyogan lived here,” Rabaya said in Cebuano.
The Provincial Intelligence Branch and Talisay City Police Station had received a tip about Cuyogan’s illegal activities in the area, which led them to initiate the drug bust.