MANILA, Philippines — Two alleged drug lords operating in Central Visayas and their two unidentified accomplices died in a shootout with policemen in Taguig City on Monday morning, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Monday.
In a statement, PNP chief Police General Debold Sinas identified the notorious drug personalities as Christopher Ocarol and Allan Catalan.
Sinas said the suspects were killed during a buy-bust operation conducted by elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) along C6 Road in Barangay Napindan at 5:30 a.m.
Recovered were 40 kilograms of shabu (crystal meth) worth P272-million and high-powered firearms from the fatalities, including two Bushmaster assault rifles, KG-9 machine pistol and two handguns, Sinas also noted.
According to Philippine Drug Enforcement Group records, Ocarol and Catalan were notorious drug personalities operating in Central Visayas before being imprisoned at the New Bilibid Prisons and the Cebu City Jail for drug charges. The two were then released on appeal in 2015.
Police also said the suspects were members of a major drug distribution network that supplies drugs from Metro Manila to Central Visayas.
The two suspects then established their base of operations in Metro Manila, to avoid detection from authorities in Central Visayas. The suspects started weekly shipping of small quantities of narcotics to Cebu. with reports from Zac Sarao, trainee
RELATED STORY: Suspected drug pusher dies in shootout, another falls in CamSur stings