2 gang members yield stolen car, gun, shabu

Two suspected members of a 12-man criminal group involved in car theft, illegal drugs, gunrunning and credit card fraud were arrested shortly after Wednesday midnight in a police operation in Pasay City.

However, the alleged leader and the rest of the group were able to escape, leaving just Julius Tizon and Michael Mijares at the hands of the police.

The two were arrested at 12:30 a.m. at a condominium on F.B. Harrison Street, after a brief car chase. Seized from them was a Ford Escape (XHN 496) which had been reported by its owner, Carmina Danao Cabrera, two sachets of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu and a .38-caliber revolver.

The van was part of a three-vehicle convoy which included a Honda Civic and a Ford E-150. The passengers included the “gang leader Joseph ‘Putoy’ and other henchmen,” Pasay police chief Senior Supt. Rodolfo Llorca affirmed in a report.

In a phone interview, Llorca said the police went after the group but managed to corner only the Ford Escape where the two men were on board. They will be charged with car theft and illegal possession of drugs and a firearm.