Retired cop, 6 others dead in Laguna anti-drugs operation

SAN PEDRO CITY – Seven suspected illegal drug pushers were killed, while 27 others were arrested in a series of police operations in Laguna, the provincial police chief said Friday.

Among those killed was retired Sr. Police Officer 3 Nelson Dimatulac in San Pablo City.

Sr. Supt. Eleazar Matta, Laguna police chief, said Dimatulac and his companion identified only as an alias “Quintin” were killed in a buy-bust operation at 2:05 a.m. Friday in Barangay (village) 1B.

Police recovered from the scene a .38-caliber gun and a shotgun.

Matta said Quintin was a member of the Batang Kubo gun-for-hire group that operated in Laguna, Batangas, Cavite, and Quezon provinces.

The Laguna police carried out 24 operations within 24 hours since Thursday under the Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operation, Matta said.

Also arrested were six persons wanted by the police for various crimes and two for illegal gambling.

In Pila town, Brian Belmonte was killed in a police shootout at 12:40 a.m. Friday in front of the Don Manuel National High School.

The police report said Belmonte tried to sell suspected “shabu” (crystal meth) worth P2,500 to an undercover police officer when he started to shoot. This triggered the gunfight.

Belmonte’s name also came up in the list of drug personalities in his village.

In Cabuyao City, separate operations were conducted at 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Friday in Barangay Banlic and Barangay Banay-banay, respectively.

Joesan Calatin was the target of the earlier buy-bust, while Wilmar Tolosa in the subsequent operation. Both suspects, who were residents of the adjacent Calamba City, were killed.

In Sta. Cruz, suspect Jayson Sarreal, a native of Cavite province, was dead in a buy-bust around 2 a.m. Friday in Barangay Bagumbayan.

The police said Sarreal was first to fire shots. Recovered from him were a .38 caliber gun and five sachets of suspected shabu.

Suspect Rommel Baladad was killed in a buy-bust operation around 9 p.m. Thursday in a vacant lot near a mall in Barangay Tagapo, Sta. Rosa City.

Police said Baladad must have realized he was dealing with police officers when he drew out a gun and fired shots.