ILOILO City – The group of Western Visayas’ top drug suspect Ernesto “Erning” Bolivar has been deemed dismantled by the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
“Seventy percent” of the group’s members have been arrested, making it inactive for over a year now, said Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, PRO-6 spokesperson.
Bolivar’s men used to operate mainly in central and northern Iloilo province and parts of nearby Capiz province. But they were not only into illegal drugs. They were also into robbery and gun-for-hire services.
Malong said new group members have been paralyzed, too, due to relentless police operations.
Bolivar himself has left Western Visayas to avoid the police, she added.
Because of these, the PRO-6’s intelligence division decided to ditch Bolivar as the top priority in its list of drug personalities.
Sources from the police intelligence community said Bolivar moved to Luzon and is possibly in the Bicol region.
“But we are still hunting him. He has a pending arrest warrant for a drug case,” said Malong.
Bolivar has been charged with violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Section 5, Article II).
Although he managed to escape from policemen trying to entrap him in a buy-bust operation at his house in Barangay Guinacas, Pototan, Iloilo on Nov. 9, 2016, the police filed a complaint against him (Criminal Case No. 17-8454).
Bolivar became the prime target of the PRO-6 after the death of drug lord Richard “Buang” Prevendido on Sept. 1 2017. The provincial government of Iloilo is dangling a P500,000 monetary reward to whoever could give information leading to his arrest.
Bolivar stepped up drug trafficking activities after Prevendido was killed in a shootout with policemen in Barangay Balabago, Jaro district here.
Last year, there were reports about Bolivar having been spotted in parts of Western Visayas and Metro Manila. He had lots of money to buy protection from policemen and even businessmen, sources told Panay News./PN
