Police seize a total of P78.2 million of illegal drugs in a buy-and-bust operation turned armed encounter on Tuesday afternoon, July 23, along Zuellig Avenue in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City. CDND PHOTO / Benjie Talisic
CEBU CITY, Philippines—Police said the three suspects, who were killed in an armed encounter in Mandaue City on July 23, are members of the Ygot drug syndicate group.
Police Major Mercy Villaro, public information officer of Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), revealed this information to CDN Digital in a phone interview on Wednesday, July 24, 2019.
The information was confirmed by Police Lieutenant Colonel Bernouli Abalos, chief of the City Intelligence Branch of MCPO.
The Ygot drug group is a notorious drug syndicate previously based in Consolacion town, located around 16.6 kilometers from Cebu City. According to the police, the Ygot drug group’s multi-million drug shipments covered not only the Visayan regions but also areas in Luzon and Mindanao.
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Even though Rustico Repuela Ygot, the leader of the group, is currently detained at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, Villaro said they believe his cronies in Cebu are still connected in the drug distribution trade.
Police believe that the three individuals, who were killed on July 23 in shootout along Zuellig Avenue in Mandaue City are part of the group.
The encounter started out as a buy-and-bust operation but Prince James Ledesma Mapalo the main target of the operation, noticed that he was dealing with police and attempted to shoot the operative who acted as the buyer.
Mapalo and another companion were confirmed dead on the spot after the armed encounter while another person was rushed to the hospital after he was shot by authorities. He was, however, declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
READ: Breaking 2 dead, 1 wounded in Mandaue City drug-related shootout
READ: Illegal drugs worth P78.2 million seized in buy-and-bust operation in Mandaue City
The two other suspects were identified on Wednesday afternoon, July 24, as Alfredo Zosa of Barili town in southern Cebu and Roque Abellar from A. Lopez Street in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City.
The families of Zosa and Abellar personally came to the MCPO to identify them. / celr