Drug gang ‘leader’ who escaped Cavite buy-bust slain in Batangas

SAN PEDRO CITY–– A suspected drug pusher, who escaped arrest by shooting at the authorities, was killed the next day in a follow-up police operation in Batangas City.

The Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon (CALABARZON) police on Saturday identified, in a report, the slain suspect as Mark Anthony Almazan, alias Michael Almazan, a resident of Sta. Rosa City, Laguna, who was the leader of a local drug group.

The follow-up police operation happened around 10:30 p.m. Friday in Barangay Pallocan East, Batangas City.

Intelligence police were pursuing Almazan, after the suspect escaped an earlier buy-bust operation in Silang, Cavite when Almazan allegedly fired shots and forced authorities to shoot him down.

Almazan died instantly.

On Thursday, police conducted a buy-bust operation in Barangay Kaong, Silang, which similarly resulted in a shootout.

Almazan’s companion, Noel Reyes, was killed by the police, while at least six sachets of suspected “shabu” (crystal meth) were recovered from the Silang operation.

LZB