BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA and RUBY P. SILUBRICO
ILOILO City – A village councilman and his wife were arrested for illegal drugs, unlicensed firearm and ammunitions in Barangay Pulao, Dumangas, Iloilo.
Sixty-three-year-old Rolando Domejes Sr. and wife Jenny, 60, were “high-value” targets, said Senior Inspector Charlie Sustento, Dumangas police station chief.
The two were detained at the police station after their arrest around 9:45 a.m. yesterday.
Rolando was No. 2 in the Dumangas police’s list of suspected drug personalities, said Sustento.
The Domejeses sold a sachet of shabu to an undercover policeman in the sting operation conducted at the couple’s house.
“The husband and wife were under surveillance for a long time,” said Sustento.
Recovered from the Domejes house were three sachets of suspected shabu, seven plastic sachets containing shabu residue, buy-bust money worth P500 and various drug paraphernalia.
On Wednesday night, neighbors of the Domejeses complained to the police about an alleged gun firing.
Also seized from the couple’s house were six .45 pistol magazines, one .45 pistol with serial number F88-01774, firearm muffler, one black holster, three live ammunitions for a 12-gauge shotgun, 30 live ammunitions for a .45, ammunitions for M14 and M16 rifles, two live ammunitions for a .44 magnum, three fired cartridges from a .38 revolver, and cartridge cases of various firearms.
The buy-bust was a joint operation of the Dumangas police and the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO).
Rolando has a pending drug case in Iloilo City, too, said Sustento.
Dumangas’ Mayor Rolando Distura expressed disappointment over Rolando’s involvement in illegal drugs but he lauded the police.
“This shows the support of the community in our anti-illegal drugs campaign,” said Distura.
Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas, Iloilo police director, vowed not to stop arresting drug traffickers.
He personally supervised the sting operation yesterday.
“Barangay officials are supposed to help us fight drug trafficking. It is sad that some of them are the ones selling illegal drugs,” said Salinas.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. ordered the IPPO to identify barangay captains and officials not supportive of the campaign against illegal drugs.
Many barangay officials are not cooperative, according to Salinas.
On Sunday, Defensor spoke before some 9,000 barangay officials who gathered for a provincial assembly at the Iloilo Sports Complex here. He urged them to get involved in the campaign against drug trafficking.
At the very least, they should give the police information that could lead to the arrest of drug traffickers, he stressed./PN
