Police kill high-profile drug courier

MANILA, Philippines — An alleged high-profile drug suspect was killed by the police while 4 kilograms of “shabu” (crystal meth) worth P27.2 million were seized in a buy-bust operation in Quezon City on Sunday.

In separate statements, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and Quezon City Police District (QCPD) announced that Edgardo Labay Alfonso, a supposed high-value target, was shot dead after he refused to surrender.

Members of the NCRPO Regional Drug Enforcement Unit and Cubao police station conducted the entrapment operation around 5:15 a.m. on Sunday in front of a gasoline station at Barangay San Roque.

The QCPD said that Alfonso, who realized he was dealing with a police officer, pulled out a gun and began firing at the undercover agent. He ran away but was cornered by the police.

Defiant suspect

“[He] was ordered to lay down and surrender but instead he … fired at the operatives,” the NCRPO said. “As the raiding team pursued him, [a] firefight broke out [in which] the suspect was neutralized.”

Operatives seized around 4 kilograms of shabu in addition to a .45-caliber pistol. Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the NCRPO chief, said the large amount of drugs meant the suspect was a trusted courier.

“In our daily operations, it’s unheard of to confiscate 4 kilograms of shabu,” he said.

Eleazar added that the suspect was a player in a criminal gang under intensive monitoring, and investigations were ongoing into the group’s leaders and suppliers.