Alleged drug pusher slain in Lucena buy-bust

LUCENA CITY — Police killed an alleged drug pusher in a buy-bust operation here Thursday afternoon.

Angelito Taburdan, 41, was slain when he allegedly resisted arrest and reportedly tried to kill the arresting officer after he was caught selling “shabu” (crystal meth) to an undercover police officer in a transaction in Barangay (village) Ibabang Talim about 1:20 p.m., Lt. Col. Reydante Ariza, Lucena police chief, said in a report Friday.

The report said that as Police Staff Sgt. Pedro Wagan was about to make the arrest after the transaction, the suspect struggled and tried to escape by running away.

While running, the suspect grabbed his caliber .38 gun and shot the pursuing policemen but missed his targets. PSSgt. Melvin Malihan returned fire and killed the suspect on the spot.

The authorities recovered the handgun from the slain suspect and a sachet of shabu worth P500 in the street market. 

Police tagged the suspect as one of the notorious pushers in the village and nearby areas.