2 pushers killed in Tarlac, Laguna clashes

September 12, 2018

TWO notorious drug pushers were killed in separate clashes in Tarlac and Laguna.

Acting Tarlac police director Senior Supt. Ritchie M. Posadas said Ernesto Montemar Purganan, alias “Nesto”, 43, of Bgy Ungot, Tarlac City, tried to escape by engaging a team of policemen in a gunbattle past 11 p.m. in Purok Himlayan, Bgy Apsayan, Gerona town, late Tuesday night.

Posadas said the suspect died on the spot due to bullet wounds in the body. On the other hand, no members of Gerona Police Station Drug Enforcement Unit were wounded during the shootout.

Supt. Falaci Estoro, Gerona town police chief, said they have been monitoring the suspect’s illegal activities for over a month until they were able to made contact with him for a drug deal through a police asset.

Estoro said he immediately launched an entrapment operation for the arrest of the suspect after securing a confirmation from the regional office of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

He said after the drug deal was consummated, the suspect sensed that he was dealing with an undercover cop so he pulled out a hand gun and fired at PO3 Artem Balagtas (poseur-buyer) but missed.

Sensing danger, the undercover cop and his team returned fire, killing the suspect on the spot.

Shortly, a SOCO team led by Chief Insp. Angelito Angel arrived and processed the crime scene.

The team recovered from the area a defaced cal. .38 revolver, five live bullets for cal. .38, one spent for cal. .38 and a black Honda 155 TMX motorized tricycle used by the suspect in his illegal activities.

Police also recovered from the body of the suspect 10 heat-sealed plastic sachets containing suspected shabu, a cellphone, driver’s license of the suspect, P500 marked money, undetermined amount of money and personal belongings.

The pieces of evidence were brought by SOCO team to the PNP Crime Laboratory here for examination while the body of the suspect was brought to Lotus Funeral Homes in Tarlac City for autopsy.

In Laguna, another suspected drug pusher was killed by operatives of Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) while his cohort escaped during an armed encounter in Bgy. Old Aglipay Church, J. Gonzalez St., Bgy. Poblacion, Biñan City, Tuesday night.

A report submitted to acting Laguna police director Senior Supt. Kirby John Brion Kraft by Supt. Ronan Claravall, acting Biñan City police chief, identified the slain suspect as Tatad Molina, who was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

Supt. Claravall said Molina’s companion, identified as Romeo Gutierrez, was able to escape.

Molina was selling illegal drugs to police operative for P1,000 when the light from a house nearby hit the backup cops, prompting him to run away, triggering an encounter and hitting him.

Recovered at the scene were three cartridges for Colt cal. .45, two empty shells, 12 small sachets of shabu, P4,000 cash, P1,000 in marked money. 

With Gil Aman & Celso C. Lidot

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