4 dead in Bulacan, Nueva Ecija drug war

Four drug suspects were killed in police operations in Bulacan and Nueva Ecija yesterday.

Col. Chito Bersaluna, Bulacan police chief, said Allan Nuela and Michael Lasala shot it out with anti-narcotics agents in stings in Barangay Longos, Pulilan and GayaGaya, San Jose del Monte, respectively.

Bersaluna said 1.5 kilos of shabu with an estimated street value of P10.2 million were seized in raids in San Ildefonso town.

The illegal drugs were recovered from Duane Aquino, 41; Kristine Oliveros and Rey Allan Cruz.

Lt. Col. Heryl Bruno, police chief of San Jose City in Nueva Ecija, said Ryan Gonzales and Dominado Dionaldo resisted arrest and fired at police officers who posed as buyers of shabu in Barangay Malasin.

Police said the fatalities were on the drug watchlist.

In Lanao del Sur, Patrolman Alrajhi Londo Hadji Yasser of the Lanao del Norte police was arrested for possession of sachets of shabu and an unlicensed firearm when pulled over at a checkpoint in Marantao on Wednesday.

“He resisted at first and nearly figured in a shootout with our personnel who requested him politely to have his vehicle inspected for weapons and narcotics,” Brig. Gen. Graciano Mijares, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao director, said.

Drug-free

Meanwhile, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Caraga office said 53 more barangays in Surigao del Norte have been cleared of illegal drugs.

The Caraga regional oversight committee on barangay drug-clearing chaired by PDEA-Caraga director Aileen Lovitos said 14 barangays in Claver, eight in Bacuag, four in Gigaqui, 21 in Surigao City and six in Sison are now drug-free.

The PDEA said Caraga ranks sixth among drug-affected regions in the country.