LUCENA CITY—Another drug suspect was killed in a buy-bust operation that ended in a gunfight in Cavite province, police said on Wednesday (Feb. 17).
Col. Marlon Santos, Cavite police chief, said in a report the slain suspect, who was not identified, was a “high-value” target who was killed after resisting arrest and firing at policemen during the operation in Bacoor City around 1 a.m.
Police define high-value target as someone who could sell at least 50 grams of shabu, or crystal meth, per transaction.
Just hours before on Tuesday (Feb. 16), police also killed three drug suspects in separate operations in General Trias City and the towns of Indang and Naic, also in Cavite.
Police also arrested 42 suspected pushers in 28 buy-bust operations in different parts of the province during the past 24 hours.
Authorities seized 123 packets of shabu and 29 packets of dried marijuana leaves.
The report did not specify the volume of drugs and its value in the street market.
Police also arrested 20 wanted criminals that included the most wanted in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Rizal) region who was not also identified in the report.
At least seven illegal gamblers and five suspects in various crimes were also arrested in the province.
Seventy-three other individuals were arrested for violation of COVID-19 community health protocols.