CCPO probers explore possible ‘drug links’ in ex-cop’s killing

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Investigators of the killing of a former policeman and his 19-year-old son are looking into alleged possible drug links as the motive of the fatal shooting attack.

Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) chief, said they were verifying reports of slain former policeman, Ruben Quita, being allegedly involved in illegal drug activities which could have led to conflicts with some members of the drug group, and could be the reason for the shooting attack.

“As per intelligence information that we have, that guy (Quita) is involved in Cebu Illegal activities and maybe because after four years of his AWOL, adto na nigawas ang iyang involvement sa droga,” said Ligan.

(As per intelligence information we have, that guy (Quita) is involved in Cebu illegal activities and maybe because after four years of his AWOL (absent without leave), his alleged involvement in illegal drugs surfaced.)

Read: Probers dig deeper into slain AWOL cop’s life, work

Former policeman, Quita, and his son, Gavin Rheuben Quita, were shot dead by armed men while they were inside their sport utility vehicle in Sitio Mohon 3, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City, last Thursday, September 10, 2020.

However, Ligan said that they were not also discounting the possibility that the motive of the killing was related to Quita’s previous work as he was also assigned in the City Intelligence Branch (CIB) of the CCPO. 

Ligan said that the killing might be related to the arrests made by Quita when he was still an active member of the police.

Ligan said that their challenge now would be to identify the suspects which would only be possible if there would be witnesses, who would come forward, since the crime scene had no closed circuit television.

“As to the description of the gunmen, we only rely on the witnesses, katong nakakita, perhaps we will be having a sketch based on the description,” said Ligan./dbs