2 drug dealers gunned down in C. Mindanao

TWO armed big-time drug trafficking suspects were killed in separate shootouts with undercover officers in Central Mindanao on Thursday night and early morning yesterday, Police Regional Office 12 director, Brigadier General Alfred S. Corpus reported.

“These two operations were part of our strict enforcement of a directive from Philippine National Police chief, General Archie Francisco F. Gamboa, for us to go after ‘high-value drug targets’ or HVTs across the region,” said Corpus.

One of the suspects identified as Salasal Manedsin alias ‘Brudy’ shot it out with members of the Sultan Kudarat Police Provincial Office and the Philippine Drug EnforcementAgency who raided his house in Sitio Abpet in Barangay Tual, President Quirino municipality at 3:40 a.m. yesterday and was killed when the officers returned fire, the PRO12 director said.

Corpus said that armed with a search warrant for violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013 and RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, officers raided the house of the no. 10 most wanted drug personality in Region 12.

However, the suspect refused to yield peacefully and instead fired at the members of the entering team prompting the lawmen to retaliate. The suspect was hit in the body and was taken to the Salayog Hospital in the same municipality where an attending physician declared him dead upon arrival, said Corpus.