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Jablo may have vital info on Prevendido ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MERIANNE GRACE EREÑETA
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ILOILO City – Had he lived longer, drug suspect Rusty Jablo could have spilled the beans on the Prevendido drug group.
The police could have extracted vital information from him, said Senior Superintendent Remus Zacharias Canieso, director of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).
Jablo, a high-value drug target, hanged himself in General Santos City, South Cotabato on Tuesday. He died an hour after he was rushed to a hospital.
As of this writing, the suspected leader of Jablo’s drug group, Richard Prevendido, remains at large.
The husband of Barangay Captain Noemi Jablo of Desamparados, Jaro district was a subgroup leader of the Prevendido drug group, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6.
Canieso said Jablo could have shed light, too, on the death of younger brother Carcar Jablo.
Carcar was shot last month in Barangay Desamparados. The killing was believed to be drug-related.
Before he committed suicide, Jablo claimed the Prevendido drug group was behind Carcar’s death.
“Hindi naton ma-validate. Hindi na-extract ‘yung statement and wala na-notarize (but) still, sana ito ay strong information if na-under oath siya,” said Canieso.
Jablo was found hanging from the ceiling of the toilet of General Santos City’s Police Station 4 cell around 5:40 a.m. on Nov. 22.
“(But) gina consider naton ang statement ng namatay na Jablo. Ito ‘yung lead but still (Jablo’s) statement will remain as information,” said Canieso.
He also expressed confidence that Jablo’s death would somehow adversely affect the operation of the Prevendido drug group.
“At least nabawasan na ang ginalantaw nga personalities involved in illegal drugs,” said Canieso.
But where is Richard Prevendido? The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has been publicly urging him to surrender peacefully.
“We are calling him to surrender and we assure his safety. He would not be harmed should he surrender,” said Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, spokesperson of PRO-6.
In August, no less than Canieso visited Prevendido’s residence in Barangay Bakhaw as part of the knock-and-plea strategy of the police in the war against drug trafficking. But the suspect was not there.
“We believe Prevendido is still here. He’s just hiding,” said PRO-6 spokesperson Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, citing intelligence reports.
On Aug. 23, a brother of Prevendido was collared in a buy-bust operation of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Group (RAIDTG) in Barangay Bakhaw.
Abelardo Prevendido Sr., 61, yielded four sachets of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P12,000.
Just this Nov. 4, a suspected member of the Prevendido drug group was arrested in Tobias Fornier, Antique in what the authorities considered a huge blow to the illegal drug trade in the region. Bonie Prevendido Gregori was caught with eight others in a buy-bust operation.
Gregori was a nephew of Prevendido and son of Barangay Captain Remia Gregori of Bakhaw, Mandurriao.
PDEA described the young Gregori as the Prevendido drug group’s “brain and muscle.”/PN
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