A suspected drug dealer is killed by police in a buy bust operation in Labogon, Mandaue City on Friday, March 13, 2020. CDN Digital photo | Norman Mendoza
CEBU CITY, Philippines — In just the first few hours of Friday the 13th, three persons have already been killed in separate shooting incidents around Metro Cebu.
Two of those killed in the shooting incidents were suspected drug dealers who were shot in separate buy bust operations for allegedly resisting arrest while one is a still unidentified person who was found dead with gunshot wounds in his body.
One of the drug suspects who was killed was identified as a certain Romulo Masbate Jr. He was killed during a buy-bust operation inside his house in Sitio Canabis, Barangay Cansojong in Talisay City.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Marlu Conag, head of the Police Intelligence Branch (PIB) of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) who conducted the buy-bust operation, said that Masbate resisted arrest and retaliated, which led to the armed confrontation.
Masbate was said to be the drug supplier of Rosly Fajardo, the suspect killed in another buy-bust operation on Thursday, March 12, in the same barangay.
The police are still in the area as of this posting to gather more information.
In Mandaue City, one suspected drug dealer was shot dead in a buy-bust operation in Sitio Centro Barangay Labogon, Mandaue City past 12:00 midnight, after he allegedly attempted to fire back at policemen.
Read: Suspected drug dealer shot dead in Mandaue
The suspect was identified as Marvin Suico, 33, a resident of the area where the operation was held.
Police Major James Conaco, chief of Basak Police Station in Mandaue, said that the suspect tried to escape when police was about to arrest him and pulled out a gun.
Police recovered a .45 caliber pistol from Suico and packets of suspected shabu worth an estimated P20,000.
Meanwhile, in Barangay Tangke, also in Talisay City, a still unidentified man was found dead with gunshot wounds in his body past 2 a.m.
Patrolman Eleazar Belciña said that they received a report about the incident from concerned citizens.
Upon responding, the man was already lying lifeless on the ground.
There were nine slugs of a still unknown firearm found in the area of crime.
Belciña said residents in the area heard burst of gunshots before the body was found.
Belciña said they are looking at the involvement of the victim into illegal drug trade as at least 15 pieces of suspected shabu were found from his pocket. /bmjo