CAMP GEN. PANTALEON GARCIA, IMUS, Cavite – An alleged member of the “Ozamis Gang” was killed on Thursday afternoon by a joint police team in a shootout inside his house in Barangay Acacia, Silang, the Cavite Police Provincial Office (PPO) reported on Friday.
Arlan Gacuma Letada shot it out with the operatives using his Armalite rifle after resisting arrest during a shabu buy-bust in front of his house, police said.
Letada, also known as “Esteban” or “Teban”, died on the spot from gunshot wounds in the body.
Found by the team inside the house of Letada were his M-16 rifle with a magazine loaded with bullets, one .38-caliber revolver with bullets in its chamber, one hand grenade, 11 small sachets containing three grams of shabu worth P18,000, a wig, one marked P1,000 buy-bust bill, one shell for Armalite rifle, and two shells for .9mm pistol.
A report released by Cavite PPO and the Police Regional Office (PRO) IV-A or the Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) Police Command said that Letada was a high-value drug target and a member of the Ozamis Robbery Group who had an arrest warrant for attempted robbery and frustrated homicide.
Authorities also reported that Letada was also involved in gun-for-hire shootings, robbery-holdup, carjacking and illegal drug business in Silang, Cavite, Regions IV and III, and the National Capital Region.
The operation against Letada was conducted by the PRO-IV-A Drug Enforcement Unit and Regional Special Operating Unit led by Lieutenant Colonels Dennis L. de Leon and Melvin Motante, respectively; a regional back-up group under Lieutenant Jose Gonzales, and Silang police.
The Cavite PPO reported that the encounter happened at 1:30 p.m.
Initial investigation showed that Letada resisted when he sensed that the buyer he had just dealt with on a P1,000-worth shabu was an officer and saw the arresting group in the vicinity.
Letada reportedly ran to his house, took his Armalite rifle and fired.
The shooting prompted the group, in tactical positions, to fire back, hitting Letada. (Anthony Giron)
