11 drug dealers killed, 45 others nabbed in Bulacan

The suspects were killed when they resisted and fired at arresting police operatives while the more than 100 who yielded without resistance were arrested, Caramat said. (Photo by West Midlands Police, CC BY-SA 2.0)

CAMP GEN. ALEJO SANTOS, Bulacan— The intensified campaign of the Bulacan Police Provincial Office pushes through without let-up in their simultaneous “One Time, Big Time” operations in the different parts of the province since early Tuesday morning.

From 21 in the early hours of Tuesday, the number of slain armed drug dealers climbed to 32 as 11 more drug suspects were killed while the number of arrested suspects rose to 109 from 64 as the Bulacan police stepped up their operations to protect the province from the scourge of the dope menace on Wednesday noon, according to  Bulacan police director, Senior Supt. Romeo Caramat Jr.,  

Caramat said that illegal drugs, grenades, firearms and ammunition were also recovered in the simultaneous One Time Big Time operations conducted by the Bulacan Police the whole day of Tuesday that coincided with the celebration of Bulacan Day.

He said that a total of 67 operations were conducted by the 24 police stations in Bulacan, including the Bulacan Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) and Provincial Public Safety Company (PPSC) in the campaign against hard drugs, loose firearms and implementation of search warrant all over the province. 
 
The suspects were killed when they resisted and fired at arresting police operatives while the more than 100 who yielded without resistance were arrested, Caramat said.
 
The suspects were identified, most of them only by their aliases, as: Alvin who was killed in Balagtas; Pugeng Manyak in Baliwag; Ronnie in Bulacan; Jojo de Belen in Calumpit; Yayot and two of his unidentified cohorts in Guiguinto; Wilfredo Alapide, Jeffrey, Alvin, Victoria dela Cruz and Quintin in the City of Malolos; Jimmy Gongon and Marie Bartolome in Marilao; Allan Almojuela in Norzagaray; Enan and Justine in Obando; Ansiong in Pandi; Wilfredo Pleno and Jerome Crisostomo in Plaridel; Berth in Pulilan; Joseph Gentolia in San Ildefonso; Elias and Leogie Medrno in the City of San Jose del Monte; Christopher Tecson in San Miguel; Macoy, Rommel Victorino and two unidentified in Santa Maria; Jessie Andles and an unidentified one in operations conducted by PPSC; and Bryan Velayo who was killed in an operation conducted by PIB and SWAT.
 
A total of 359 plastic sachets of suspected “shabu” weighing 235.0792 grams; 765 grams of marijuana leaves; two grenades: 33 assorted firearms; and 112 pieces of ammunition were recovered and confiscated in the 50 buy-bust operations, serving of 15 search warrants and two police checkpoint operations, he said.

Caramat said that the Bulacan police have neutralized many drug dealers and offenders but it seems that many are still on the loose and selling their illegal stuff.

He stressed, however, that the Bulacan police will never stop going after them.

“Kung lagi silang gising dahil sa tama ng shabu, lagi ding gising ang ating kapulisan para tugisin sila (If they are always awake due to the effect of shabu, our police also always awake to chase them). It is quite obvious that many of those killed are no longer in their right minds because instead of surrendering like most of those arrested, they are inclined to fight it out with our policemen,” Caramat said.

In the  City of San Jose del Monte, police operatives led by city police chief Supt. Fitz Macariola dismantled a “shabu tiangge” and arrested at least 50 persons caught in the act of buying and sniffing prohibited drugs inside rows of shanties that serve as dope dens in Barangay Bagong Buhay.

Macariola said that one of the suspected drug dealers and owner of the “kubol” (dope den shanty) who was identified only as a certain “Elias” engaged police operatives into a firefight and was killed.

Five other drug dealers identied as Ederlina Garcia, Emmanuel David, Aldrin Aquirre, Van Riener Aporto and Josephine Niepes, all residents of said areas where arrested. The suspected drug dealers also own the so-called “kubols,” Macariola added.

At least 50 other drug suspects, mostly clients, were also subsequently arrested.

“We have been monitoring the area after receiving reports that the place is being frequented by many people who are non-residents there. And there they are, still awake at the wee hours of the morning sniffing shabu,” Macariola said.

Police recovered a still undetermined amount of shabu, assorted drug paraphernalia and a handgun from the slain drug dealer.

The arrested suspects will be subjected to drug tests while appropriate charges will be filed against them, Macariola said.