Drug suspect ‘rises from dead’

An alleged drug peddler thought to have been killed along with his cohort in a shootout with anti-narcotics operatives in Malate, Manila, suddenly sprung back to life yesterday.

Police and media men covering the incident were startled when the bloodied Francisco Maneja, 28, who they thought was already dead suddenly sat up, waved his hand

and asked for help.

Maneja was one of the subjects of a buy-bust operation conducted by the anti-illegal drugs unit of MPD Police Station 9.

Malate Police chief Supt. Romeo Mendoza Odrada said Maneja and his cohort, George Huggins, 45, arrived at Roxas Boulevard service road behind the Aristocrat Restaurant onboard a tricycle (5543 HV) at around 12:20 a.m. to meet PO1 Orlando Gonzales who posed as a shabu buyer.

Maneja instructed PO1 Gonzales to board the tricycle because they would make the drug deal somewhere else. The cop followed his instruction.

While they were traversing the service road, PO1 Gonzales handed 1500 to Maneja for a sachet of shabu.

However, after stopping on Aldecoa Street, Maneja realized he was dealing with an undercover cop whom he pushed out of the tricycle.

Huggins, who was driving the tricycle, alighted and started firing at Gonzales who retaliated, killing Huggins on the spot.

Meanwhile, Maneja got out of the tricycle to confront Gonzales, but got hit by back-up operatives.

More police arrived at the crime scene around 1:30 a.m. as well as mediamen.

Ten minutes later, Maneja slowly rose up from the pavement and asked for help.

Investigator PO3 Marlon San Pedro of MPD homicide section said that policemen rushed Maneja to Ospital ng Maynila where he is now recuperating from gunshot wounds in the shoulder, hands and feet.

San Pedro said that police operatives recovered three sachets of suspected shabu, a .38-caliber Square Bingham revolver and a .22-caliber Blackwidow revolver with live ammunition, and the marked money used in the entrapment.

A case for violation of R.A. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) will be filed against Maneja at the City Prosecutor’s Office.

1 3 2 4 MISTAKEN FATALITY – In this sequence, a fallen drug suspect thought to have been killed during a shootout with policemen raises his arms before getting up, startling lawmen and journalists on the scene. He was rushed to the hospital where he is...