Did local officials protect drug suspect in Badian?

Badian drug raid: 1 killed, 1 wounded, 3 more arrested

Badian drug raid suspects: Rolando Mayonilla (from left), Renato Quiñanola, and Elmer Sisneros will be detained at the Consolacion police detention cell. (CDN PHOTOS/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)

Badian drug raid suspects: Rolando Mayonilla (from left), Renato Quiñanola, and Elmer Sisneros will be detained at the Consolacion police detention cell. (CDN PHOTOS/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)

Police are looking into reports about local government officials protecting the suspected drug pusher, who was killed in a shootout last Tuesday in Badian town in southern Cebu.

“We are verifying reports that Junard Calabroso was enjoying the protection of local officials,” said Supt. Rodolfo Albotra Jr., chief of the Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO).

Calabroso was killed in a shootout with PIB policemen during a buy-bust operation in barangay Bato last Tuesday afternoon.

Albotra said Calabroso was a level three drug pusher in their police watchlist or a person who can sell at least 25 grams of shabu in a week.

Albotra said a policeman acting as a buyer bought at P500 worth of shabu from Calabroso.

According to Albotra the policemen moved in after the drugs and the money exchanged hands.

Calabroso, however, refused to give up and  shot it out with policemen. His cousin Juvert also pulled out his gun and joined the shootout.

Calabroso was later killed while Juvert was wounded in the exchange of gunfire.

The policemen also arrested three men  caught using illegal drugs inside Calabroso’s shanty.

Those arrested were  Rolando Mayonilla, Renato Quiñanola and Elmer Sisneros.

The raiding team also confiscated 3 large packs and 22 small sachets of suspected shabu weighing 18 grams and estimated to have a street value of at least P200,000. They also confiscated a .45 caliber pistol with six bullets, a .38 caliber revolver with four bullets and drug paraphernalia.

READ: 3 fall, P1M-worth of drugs seize

The three arrested suspects  were detained at the Consolacion police station detention cell yesterday pending the filing of charges. Since PIB doesn’t have a detention cell they usually detain the suspects they caught in the Consolacion cell.

Juvert, on the other hand, was admitted at the hospital where he is being treated for his wounds./ with Silliman U. Intern Kateleen Marie C. Ogabang

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