1 dead, 2 arrested in Tawason drug operation

A man with a shotgun was shot dead while two others were arrested yesterday during a joint anti-illegal drug operation in at Barangay Tawason Mandaue City.

Em-Em Solon of Barangay Agsungot, Cebu City was killed while Jaquiline Bacus and Buenaventura Bargamento Jr. were arrested during the buy-bust operation conducted by members of Mandaue City’s City Intelligence Branch (CIB) and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and the City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (CAIDSOTG), said Supt. Bernouli Abalos, CIB chief who led the operation.

However, one of their targets, Cresenciano Herano, escaped during the operation.

Abalos said an undercover policeman acting as a buyer bought a sachet believed to contain shabu from Herano and Bacus.

He said Bacus, however, shouted for help when the police officers moved in to arrest her and Herano, and it was at that instant when Solon ran out in one of the huts in the area with a shotgun.

Bacus said Solon was shot dead before he could fire his gun.

Herano made good his escape when police were busy neutralizing Solon.

Abalos said they, however, arrested Bargamento, who was in the area and was caught with two small sachets believed to be shabu.

The CIB chief said they also recovered two .45 caliber pistol magazines with ammunition and the shotgun from Solon.

Abalos said Herano and Bacus were in their watchlist of drug personalities in the area and were their main targets in the operation.

Two sachets of suspected shabu was also confiscated from Bacus.

Tawason Barangay Captain Jesus Arcilla Jr. said that they had been driving out the dwellers of the shanties in the lot after the land owner complained to them of their existence, and they learned that these were used allegedly as drug dens by Herano’s group.