ILOILO City – Three brothers-in-law of slain drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr. were arrested in an antidrug operation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Barangay Sambag, Jaro district yesterday morning.
Regalado siblings Leo, Cyril and Arnulfo were brothers of Odicta’s wife Meriam. They were taken to the PDEA Region 6 detention facility at Fort San Pedro, City Proper.
Arnulfo’s wife Nilda was also arrested.
The four were subjects of a search warrant for shabu. They lived in just one house in Barangay Sambag.
According to PDEA, the suspects continued trafficking drugs even after the death of Melvin and Meriam.
The Odicta spouses were shot to death by unidentified armed men at the jetty port in Barangay Caticlan, Malay, Aklan on Aug. 29, 2016.
PDEA raided the Regalado house around 6:43 a.m. in coordination with the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) of the Police Regional Office 6.
Nine sachets of shabu valued at P400,000 were recovered.
Also seized were a .45 pistol, a 12-gauge shot gun and a knife.
Arnulfo claimed the recovered firearms were licensed.
According to Senior Inspector Kennith Bermejo, RDEU chief, the four suspects were high-value targets.
Prior to the raid, a test-buy was conducted, he added.
The suspects face a charge for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and illegal gun possession./PN
