Drug suspect nabbed in hospital

A man, who escaped a raid on a drug den in barangay Tuba, Dalaguete town after he shot it out with policemen, was arrested yesterday inside a Cebu City hospital.

Police arrested Wilfredo Muñoz, 49, at the Cebu City Medical Center where he was confined from a bullet wound in the leg.

Doctors told police that the wound was severe enough that they had to remove one of his

testicles.

Insp. Dexter Basirgo, Dalaguete Police Chief, said Muñoz engaged them in a gunfight when they conducted a buy-bust operation in his ‘drug den’ in sitio Carpo at 1:30 a.m. last Sunday.

In that operation, Basirgo’s team arrested eight other persons including Muñoz’s son and confiscated 62 sachets of suspected shabu, a .38 caliber revolver with four bullets, a .357 revolver with five bullets, a grenade, P3,000 cash believed to be proceeds of the illegal trade and several drug paraphernalia.

Arrested

Among those arrested  were Muñoz’s son Raymond Mark and trusted aide,Jefferson Antipala of barangay Tuba. The six others caught in pot session at the drug den were Wilmar Lataza, 23 from Casay Dalaguete, Jomel Paz 26 from Casay Dalaguete, Alvin Gonzaga, 20 from Argao, Aldrin Sabella, 22 from Poblacion Argao, and two 17-year old boys from Balisong and Poblacion Argao.

Basirgo said Muñoz and his son were the ones who gave the P200 worth of shabu to the undercover policeman posing as a buyer.

When the police moved in, Muñoz pulled out a gun and shot it out with policemen. He fled after he was hit in the leg.

Police checked the hospitals for the wounded suspect until yesterday afternoon an informant called Cebu Provincial Police Chief Patrocinio Comendador and told him of Muñoz’s whereabouts.

Muñoz to throw off the policemen looking for him gave a Duljo Fatima, Cebu City address when he was admitted at the hospital.

Basirgo said that Muñoz was a level two drug pusher in their list of drug suspects.

A level two drug pusher can dispose at least 200 grams of shabu a week.

Police are set to file attempted homicide, illegal possession of firearms and violation of gun ban charges against Muñoz.

Basirgo also said that Muñoz would also be charged for maintaining a drug den./Correspondents Jhunnex Napallacan and Joy Cherry Quito