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Prevendido, minions warned: Give up or die ‘ 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 – An official of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) warned suspected big-time drug personality Richard Prevendido and his minions to better surrender or be killed.
According to Assistant Regional Director Levi Ortiz, “the long arm of the law will catch them.”
“Sooner or later pag hindi sila mag-surrender, baka madisgraysa pa sila,” he said.
Ortiz admitted they find it hard to catch Prevendido of Barangay Bakhaw, Mandurriao district and his subgroup leaders. They were constantly moving from place to place, he explained.
Still, Ortiz expressed confidence of catching them all.
“They can run but they can’t die. Makukuha rin sila. Matiyaga ang mga operatives natin,” he said.
Prevendido is a high-value target of the police and PDEA. Just this Tuesday, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) itself called out the suspect to surface.
“We assure his safety. He would not be harmed should he surrender,” said Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, spokesperson of PRO-6.
The police and PDEA believed Prevendido was a competitor in the drug trafficking business of slain suspected drug lord Melvin “Boyet” Odicta Sr.
The PRO-6 called out Prevendido after the surrender on Tuesday of Jesus “Jing-jing” Espinosa Jr., ranked No. 2 in the Iloilo City Police Office – Police Station 1’s list of suspected drug personalities in the City Proper and a friend of Odicta.
Ortiz appealed for more public patience. “Just give us time, madadakip din ‘yan,” he said.
PDEA received information that Prevendido was already “outside of Western Visayas,” revealed Prevendido. PRO-6’s Gorero, however, said, “We believe Prevendido is still here. He’s just hiding.”
Lately, the police and PDEA have been busy arresting the subgroup leaders of the Odicta drug group. One died.
On Sept. 20, the 29-year-old Ken Mark Pineda, described as the right-hand man of Odicta, was caught in an entrapment in Barangay Quintin Salas, Jaro district.
Recovered from Pineda were 15 big sachets of shabu worth P300 thousand.
The police believed Pineda was poised to take over Odicta’s operation.
Odicta was shot to death on Aug. 29, 2016 in Malay, Aklan by still unidentified armed men.
A day after Pineda was arrested, another suspected subgroup leader of Odicta was collared in Barangay Cagbang, Oton, Iloilo – the 50-year-old Marque “Boboy” Acap Sr.
On Oct. 2, another suspected member of the Odicta drug group, the 66-year-old Roberto “Toto” Supremo of Barangay Rizal Estanzuela, City Proper, died of gunshot wounds on the head and right shoulder in a police buy-bust operation.
Supremo sold a sachet of shabu to an undercover police officer for P300 outside his house.
On Aug. 16, no less than the director of the Iloilo City police, Senior Superintendent Remus Zacharias 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.
A week after, Aug. 23, an elder 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.
According to RAIDTG team leader Superintendent Ramil Gallardo, Abelardo was a “high-value” target (listed No. 3 in the Iloilo City Police Office’s list of suspected drug personalities in the city)./PN
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