One of the three drug suspects killed in Wednesday’s anti-illegal drug operation in Barangay Duljo Fatima, Cebu City was described by police as a high-value target.
Joseph Oralde, 44, was a high-value target and was the main subject of the operation, said Supt. Glenn Mayam, Drug Enforcement Group (Special Operations Unit 5) Visayas chief, during a phone interview with Cebu Daily News on Thursday.
Mayam said that Oralde’s brother, Romeo, 34, was Joseph’s partner in the illegal drug trade while the third slain suspect, Israel Patunob, 37, also known as “Ace” was described as Joseph’s trusted aide.
He also said that Joseph’s operations not only covered Cebu City but also reached as far as Bohol and Dumaguete, where he was described in those areas as one of those newly identified drug personalities.
“Oralde was a HVT since he could dispose 500 grams of shabu in a day,” Mayam said.
He also said that they were trying to find out where Oralde got his supply of illegal drugs.
400 grams of shabu
During Wednesday’s operations, the joint police team headed by the Drug Enforcement Group (Special Operations Unit 5), also confiscated 400 grams of suspected shabu with a Dangerous Drugs Board value of P5.9 million, 2 caliber .45 pistols and a .38 caliber revolver from the suspects.
Mayam said after receiving reports of the suspects drug operations in the area, they conducted two months of surveillance on them.
“We monitored him (Joseph Oralde) for two months and it was a difficult job to catch him because he would transfer from one place to another in operating his illegal business,” he said.
On Wednesday, they received information that Joseph was at his rented house in Duljo Fatima.
Mayam said they then conducted a test buy to confirm that he was indeed in the house.
After Joseph’s presence was confirmed, they then moved in.
Mayam said it was at this point when shots were fired from the direction of Joseph’s rented house to the approaching police officers.
No one was hit in the raiding team, who fired back, which ended in two brothers being killed and seriously wounding Patunob, who was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
However, Patunob of Barangay Basak San Nicolas was declared dead on arrival by doctors at the hospital.
No foul play, Badac list
SPO1 Winston Ybañez of the Cebu City Police Office’s Homicide Section said that they found no foul play in the killing of the three suspects.
Ybañez said that it was purely a police operation and a shootout.
Ybañez also said that the firearms retrieved from the dead suspects would undergo ballistic examination.
Meanwhile, Duljo Fatima Barangay Captain Elmer Abella said that the Oralde brothers were included in the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Badac) list.