Top drug lord killed

CEBU CITY – The hunt for Cebu’s elusive alleged top drug lord Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz ended in Las Piñas Friday night with the suspect and his bodyguard killed in an encounter with authorities led by Cebu City-based policemen.

Incoming Cebu City Mayor-elect Tomas Osmeña broke the news on his Facebook page an hour after he was informed that Diaz, notoriously known as Jaguar, and his bodyguard were killed by elements of the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) 7 headed by Col. Rex Derilo and Special Operations Group 7 headed by Col. George Ylanan.

“Cebu’s top drug lord, Jaguar, is dead. Neutralized in a Las Piñas raid by Cebu police,” Osmeña said.

A spot report on the incident showed that the raid was conducted by the Cebu-based policemen with the elements of the Las Piñas police station, led by Supt. Jemar Modequillo, at about 10:40 pm along Narra corner Gem Road, Pillar Village, Barangay Almanza 1 in the city.

The policemen were armed with a search warrant against one Alvaro Alvaro, alias barok, who is also a top-level drug personality in Cebu. Alvaro eluded arrest but Diaz and his bodyguard, Paul Vincent Gloria, 26, a resident of Uranium St. Las Piñas City, were killed.

Recovered from the possession of the suspects were one M16 rifle with scope, two magazines with live ammunition; one .45 caliber pistol with two magazine and live ammunition; about 1.5 kilos of suspected shabu amounting to about R600,000; identification cards of Diaz, which carried different names; cash amounting to R10,000, jewelries, and cellphones.

About a week ago, Diaz granted an exclusive interview with a Cebu-based journalist where he stated that he wanted to retire from the illegal drug trade partly because of the promise of incoming president Rodrigo Duterte to intensify the fight against illegal drugs.