One dead, cop hurt in buy-bust

An alleged drug dealer died while a policeman suffered minor injuries after a buy-bust operation resulted in a shootout in Purok Balanghoy, Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu- Lapu City, around 11: 40 p. m. Wednesday.

The police were targeting Randy Hilot, 30, a resident of Purok Balanghoy who was arrested after he handed a sachet of suspected drugs to a poseur-buyer, according to Senior Inspec- tor Wilbert Parilla, police chief of Station 3.

Before the raid, Senior Superintendent Armando Radoc, office-in-charge of Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, received information from Camp Crame that the suspect was often accompanied by men armed with guns. He passed this information on to the Gun- ob police before they conducted the operations yesterday.

Thirty- two small sachets of suspected drugs were seized from Hilot while another 13 small packs of suspected drugs were confiscated from his companion Roel Rizon, 31, of Sitio Saac, Barangay Buaya, Lapu-Lapu City.

The P200 marked money used in the buy-bust and a 9mm cal. pistol with a mag- azine loaded with five live rounds was recovered by the police from Rizon.

Also arrested were Jhunell Cabanes, 34, who also lived in Purok Balanghoy; and Antero Cañete, 38, of Barangay Basak who were each seized with six small packs of suspected drugs.

Police authorities also arrested Alexander Cantillep, 45, of Purok Saging, Barangay Gun-ob, confiscating 11 small packs of shabu and drug paraphernalia from his possession.

Police were about to arrest a certain Jun- jun Sollano but he ran off, pulled out a gun and shot at the police. The police returned fire and he was killed after he was shot in the head, according to Parilla.

Sollano was able to shoot Police Officer 3 Artchell Tero in the right side of his abdomen but the policeman was wearing a bullet proofed vest at the time and only suffered bruises.

Recovered from the crime scene was the .357 cal. pistol used by Sollano which still had five live rounds in the barrel.

Parilla said the drug group was placed under surveillance for two weeks before the operation. He added the place where the operation happened was in a dark interior portion of Purok Balanghoy.

The five arrested men will face charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Aside from a drug case, Rizon will be charged with illegal possession of firearms.