Suspected drug pusher killed in armed encounter

SAN SIMON - A suspected drug pusher was killed after allegedly engaging in a shootout operatives of the San Simon police during the conduct of antiillegal drug operations recently.

The suspect was identified as Alfred Gando a.k.a. “Jack” was shot dead after he allegedly tried to resist arrest and elude police operatives during the said buy-bust operation conducted in Barangay San Pedro here, said this town’s head cop Chief Inspector Louie Gonzaga.

“Our undercover policemen successfully engaged Jack into selling a sachet of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) worth P500 through a transaction via text messaging, which led to the buybust operation wherein the suspect positively sold the said shabu in exchange for the P500 marked money,” Gonzaga narrated.

However, Gonzaga said that upon the police’s declaration of arrest on Gando, the suspect immediately pulled his caliber .38 revolver and fired at the undercover police, forcing the latter to retaliate.

“Of course, in the course of trying to preserve their own lives, our policemen retaliated which resulted to one casualty and that is our suspect Jack,” he said.

Meanwhile, aside from his involvement in illegal drugs, Gonzaga disclosed that Gando was also reportedly engaged in other activities such as carnappings, and theft via “basag-kotse” and “bukas-kotse” modus.

“Gando was a subject of extensive intelligence monitoring wherein we were able to validate and confirm that he is also engaged in different criminal activities aside from his involvement in drugs,” he noted.