Quezon city: Three drug suspects were killed during a shootout with officers from the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) in a buy-bust operation at a gas station in Brgy. Socorro, Quezon City. The operation, which took place Tuesday afternoon, resulted in the seizure of PHP68 million worth of shabu, according to a PNP official on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, PDEG spokesperson Lt. Marlon Sy confirmed in a press briefing at Camp Crame that the neutralized suspects included high-value targets identified as alias Jason, 23, alias Milo, 55, and Cal. A fourth suspect managed to escape, while a police officer and an informant sustained injuries.
Lt. Sy stated, “The suspects are on the target list, in the intelligence packet. They were under surveillance since August and now the transaction prospered. Alias Jason, one of the suspects who died, was a suspended security guard. Another suspect bore a resemblance to an arrested suspect in 2017. He was the leader of the Limjoco robbery group.”
The PDEG seized 10 bricks of suspected shabu, three firearms (.45 and .38 calibers) loaded with live ammunition, PHP1,000 and boodle money used in the buy-bust, two cellular phones, a white sack, and a brown carton box during the operation.
Lt. Sy explained that the suspects attempted to double-cross the poseur buyer, leading to the shootout. “The suspects saw the money during the transaction and they planned on swindling their buyer. So one of the leaders opened fire, triggering a shootout,” he said.
He further elaborated, “They were thinking of taking back the items since they would kill the buyer anyway. In the process, they would walk away getting both the suspected illegal drugs and the buy-bust money.”
Despite the violent encounter, PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Randulf Tua±o emphasized the organization’s commitment to keeping their anti-narcotics operations as bloodless as possible. “But when the lives and security of our PDEG members, our operatives, are in danger, we will not let our police officers die in the performance of their duties,” he stated.
