ILOILO City – Police killed another high-value drug pushing suspect, the second in three days this week.
Forty-year-old Richard Gregori, 40, of Barangay Ungka 2, Pavia, Iloilo fired at policeman during a buy-bust operation yesterday around 3:15 p.m., according to Chief Inspector Jonathan Pinuela, chief of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office’s Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU).
Pinuela, who led the operation, said he was left with no choice but shoot Gregori.
A PDEU “asset” was able to buy from Gregori a sachet of shabu for P25,000 in front of the suspect’s house but realizing he was being entrapped, the subject of the operation ran to his house, according to Pinuela.
The PDEU commander said he fired at Gregori right after the suspect failed to hit him.
Gregori died from two gunshot wounds on his left arm and torso.
“I wanted to neutralize him only but he was moving,” said Pinuela.
Gregori, classified a level 2 high-value drug suspect by the PDEU, was a relative of slain Barangay Captain Remia Prevendido Gregori of Bakhaw, Mandurriao district.
Penuela said Gregori’s sources of shabu were Barangay Bakhaw and Bacolod City.
“He had been selling shabu for years but temporarily stopped in 2017. This year he resumed his illegal business,” said Pinuela.
On Monday, a drug pushing suspect was shot to death at his house in Barangay Boulevard, Molo district. He tried to shoot an undercover police officer, according to Senior Inspector Kennith Bermejo, chief of the Police Regional Office 6’s Regional Drug Enforcement Unit.
The 52-year-old Alex Blanca died of multiple gunshot wounds. He was subjected to a buy-bust operation around 11:30 a.m.
“He tried to shoot our personnel twice but his gun jammed,” said Bermejo.
The undercover policeman fired at Blanca.
According to Bermejo, Blanca belonged to the network of slain drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr. and continued trafficking shabu despite their group leader’s death in August 2016.
HOUSE RAID YIELDS 5 SACHETS OF SHABU
In a separate antidrug operation yesterday, a drug suspect’s house in Barangay San Isidro, Jaro district was raided and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6 agents recovered five sachets of shabu.
From his house, the 37-year-old Ryan Jablo was taken to the PDEA-6 detention facility at Fort San Pedro.
PDEA classified Jablo a high-value target and suspected him to belong to the Prevendido drug network.
Jablo’s house was raided around 11 a.m. PDEA-6 secured a search warrant from Judge Gloria Madero of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 29.
The five sachets of shabu were valued at P175,000.
“We monitored Jablo for more than two weeks after receiving information that he was engaged in illegal drugs,” said PDEA-6’s Nicolas Gomez.
Jablo denied owning the five sachets of shabu. He said he stopped peddling shabu after voluntarily surrendering to the police in 2016.
Jablo was a brother-in-law of former Barangay Desamparados, Jaro captain Noemi Jablo who herself was a drug suspect arrested just this July 10 in Barangay Ungka 2, Pavia, Iloilo.
Jablo faces a charge for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002./PN
