BY GLAZYL MASCULINO
BACOLOD CITY – Police seized Sunday about 2,025 grams of suspected shabu worth P13.7 million from a drug suspect who was killed in a shootout with lawmen in Barangay Magatas, Sibulan, Negros Oriental on Sunday.
Police identified the slain suspect as Jomarie Yongco, 26, of Barangay Rizal, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.
A report from the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (Norppo) showed that Yongco reportedly transacted about 25 grams of suspected shabu to a police agent during the buy-bust operation.
Prior to the operation, Yongco was under surveillance after police received information that he was involved in an illegal drug trade and that he would be transporting the contraband in the province.
This prompted the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) to conduct the operation in coordination with the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU)-7, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Sibulan Municipal Police Station.
However, the suspect sensed the movement of the police during the operation, prompting him to pull his gun out and allegedly open fire at the police operatives as he tried to escape, according to a police report.
The operatives retaliated, killing him.
During the search, authorities recovered from the suspect a .45 caliber pistol and the rest of the item. (Glazyl Masculino)
