Ex-Army soldier slain in Lucena drug sting

LUCENA CITY – The police killed a former Army soldier-turned drug pusher here in a buy-bust operation on Friday afternoon, police said Saturday.

Isidro Katigbak was killed after he reportedly resisted arrest and tried to kill policemen in a drug sting in Barangay (village) Ibabang Iyam around 5:20 p.m., according to Lt. Col. Reydante Ariza, Lucena police chief.

Katigbak earlier sold “shabu” (crystal meth) to a police agent but when he was about to be collared, he allegedly ran inside his house, took an improvised shotgun and shot the policemen but missed his targets. One of the policemen shot back and killed the suspect on the spot.

Authorities found a gun and a sachet of shabu worth P370 from the slain suspect, who was a former member of the Philippine Army. The report did not provide details of the suspect’s stint in the military.

Anti-illegal drugs operatives also arrested 11 suspected drug pushers in a series of operations here on Friday. (Editor: Leti Z. Boniol)