ILOILO – A suspected member of the Bolivar drug group was shot to death in a police buy-bust operation on Rizal Street, Barangay Ledesma Ward, Pototan town yesterday, the third to be killed in five days.
Valentino Gonzales died of multiple gunshot wounds.
He was placed under surveillance for several days prior to yesterday’s sting operation, said Chief Inspector Ronnie Brillo, Pototan police chief.
“We learned about his drug pushing last year yet but his operation was on and off so we had a hard time pinning him down,” said Brillo.
Yesterday, an “asset” of the Pototan police was able to buy from Gonzales a sachet of shabu for P1,000.
He ran away and fired shots after realizing he was being entrapped, said Brillo.
Pursuing policemen fired back at Gonzales.
Ten plastic sachets of shabu were recovered from Gonzales’ pocket and valued at P10,000, said Brillo.
Policemen also recovered a 12-gauge shotgun and .38 revolver.
Brillon said Gonzales’ supplier was from Romblon.
The leader of Gonzales’ group, Ernesto Bolivar of Barangay Guinacas, Pototan, Iloilo, has been in hiding since 2016.
Bolivar has a pending arrest warrant for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. He was charged although he managed to escape from policemen trying to entrap him in a buy-bust operation at his house in Barangay Guinacas on No. 9, 2016.
The Bolivar drug group operates mainly in central and northern Iloilo province and parts of nearby Capiz.
Gonzales was the third drug pushing suspect killed in five days. On March 22 two died in separate police antidrug operations in Barangay Balabago, Jaro, Iloilo City and Barangay Poblacion, West, Oton, Iloilo.
First to be taken down was Emerson Herrera, 39, of Barangay Poblacion West, Oton. The operating unit was the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO).
The buy-bust was carried out around 10 p.m., according to PDEU commander Chief Inspector Jonathan Pinuela.
Herrera sold a sachet of shabu worth P4,000 to an undercover police officer. He fought back when cops were about to arrest him, said Pinuela.
Herrera died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Cops recovered Herrera’s .38 revolver and 13 sachets of shabu.
An hour and 30 minutes after, Willy Palisario of Silay City, Negros Occidental was shot to death in Barangay Balabago, Jaro by operatives of the Police Regional Office 6’s Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU).
According to RDEU chief Senior Inspector Marc Dado, his men recovered from Palisario a .45 pistol and sachets of shabu valued at P157,000.
“Palisario belonged to a drug group based in Negros Occidental. Hindi siya pumupunta dito kung walang order,” said Dado./PN
