The Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) cordons the area where suspected high value drug suspect Rolando Valdez was killed in a shootout with Talisay City police at dawn of Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. |Photo courtesy of the Talisay City Police Station
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A high value drug suspect was killed by police operatives during an early morning drug bust in Sitio Mananga 2, Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City today, Saturday, February 16.
Superintendent Marlu Conag, chief of the Talisay City police, said the suspect, Rolando Bacarisas Valdez, who was also wanted for the shooting and wounding of a city policeman last year, died in a shootout with the city police’s drug enforcement unit during the buy bust operation.
Conag said that Valdez, a resident of Barangay Bulacao in Cebu City, had just sold shabu to a poseur buyer past 4 a.m. today when he realized he was dealing with a police agent, scampered away while drawing his gun, and began firing at the policemen.
Valdez was killed in the ensuing firefight that lasted about three minutes, Conag said.
The Talisay police had placed Valdez under surveillance for about three months before they initiated the drug bust, Conag told CDN Digital by phone.
He said they would have wanted to get Valdez alive since he was a high value target due to his involvement not only in the illegal drug trade but also with a gun-for-hire gang . He also had records of robbery, motor napping, and intimidation.
“Wala laming magawa. Ang sa amin lang hindi namin gusto na mapatay ang subject namin (but) we were already in danger, that is why we returned fire,” said Conag.
Conag said Valdez was also positively identified by his police operatives as the one who shot and wounded P01 Jaylord Joseph Taping on November 23, 2018 while the Talisay City policeman was conducting a surveillance operation in the same area where Valdez was killed today.
Recovered from the suspect at the crime scene were 15 small sachets of white cystalline substance believed to be shabu with a total value of P4,080, one revolver, three misfired ammunation, and four empty shells, among others./elb
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