Houses of Odicta brods, 3 others raided: 1 killed
ILOILO CITY — Combined police units in Western Visayas raided five houses in the village of Tanza-Esperanza at the City Proper district in Iloilo City at around 5a.m. Monday.
One of the targets was the house of current Barangay Councilman Noel “Nene” Odicta, a former barangay captain and a brother of slain Western Visayas drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr. Also raided was the house of another Odicta sibling, Jerry.
Aside from Odicta brothers’ houses, the police also swooped down on adjacent houses of Abraham Orada, Samuel Rubinas, and Andrew Altas, who was subsequently killed when he tried to shoot it out with the raiding team.
Orada was a retired soldier who allegedly used to work as Melvin’s bodyguard, Rubinas was allegedly an ally of the Odictas, and Altas was the husband of Shirley, sister of Melvin, and a trusted man of the Odicta group.
On July 2016, Altas was subjected to Oplan Tokhang. He appeared at the police station a day after, together with the late Meriam Odicta, Melvin’s wife, and Melvin Jr. But they all denied their illegal drugs involvement.
The raiding team consisted of policemen from the Iloilo City Police Office, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the Police Regional Office-6 Intelligence Division, the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-6, the Highway Patrol Group, and the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit.
The raid came hours after Remia Prevendido Gregori, barangay captain of Bakhaw in Mandurriao district of Iloilo City — who was also on the police narco-list and sister of slain drug lord Richard Prevendido — was killed in a gun attack late afternoon of Sunday at Barangay Igcadlum in San Joaquin, Iloilo.
Recovered from Noel’s house were a hand grenade, a .45-caliber pistol, and two magazines with ammunition, while seized from Jerry’s possession was a .38-caliber revolver. Confiscated from Orada was a .45-caliber pistol with ammo and a .38-caliber revolver, while recovered from Altas was a .45-caliber pistol. Rubinas, on the other hand, was arrested for alleged obstruction of justice.
Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, PRO-6 regional director, said the suspects’ houses were raided for illegal possession of firearms, thus, they were considered armed and dangerous.
During the raid, Altas was killed after he allegedly fought it out with the raiding team. When the policemen entered his house, they knocked repeatedly on the room where Altas was supposedly hiding. There was no response and when the policemen kicked the door open, Altas appeared and fired a shot at a policeman, who was hit on the chest. The policeman however had a bullet-proof vest, but he was knocked down just the same.
Another policeman quickly shot Altas who was hit on the forehead and left side of his body. He was still rushed to the Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
Bulalacao said despite Melvin’s death in August 2016, other members of the Odicta family were deemed to be involved in illegal drugs. “We will continue to do our part … this government will not stop its antiillegal drugs campaign until the last person involved in illegal drugs is incarcerated.”
Duterte, in his visit to Iloilo last June 20, talked to Bulalacao about illegal drugs. “I was informed by the president that the only problem I have here is illegal drugs. The rest madali nang kausapin ‘yan. Mga insurgents kaya daw nya ‘yun,” Bulalacao earlier said. “For as long as there are still members of the LGU and the police PNP that are into illegal drugs, hindi ko raw maso-solve ang illegal drugs,” the police official quoted Duterte words to him.
Bulalacao said anti- drugs operations will continue to clear Western Visayas of all forms of criminality, as he also confirmed that those raided were remnants of the illegal activities of the slain drug lord Melvin Odicta.