For Laguna’s ‘Toblerone’ gang, no sweet ending

SAN PEDRO CITY—Every time they robbed convenience stores and groceries in the cities of San Pedro and Biñan in Laguna province, they would run off with the cash—and the chocolates, specifically Toblerone bars, on the shelves, leaving police investigators wondering about their behavior.

It was for this criminal signature seen in closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the stores that the city police named the gang after the popular chocolate bar, not discounting the possibility of a sweet tooth among its members or their partners.

The real reason was revealed after a police buy-bust operation on Monday afternoon in Biñan City, also in Laguna, resulting in the killing of three persons and the arrest of two others. Supt. Noel Aliño, Biñan City police chief, said the “Toblerone” gang was also linked to the illegal drug trade.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Aliño said the buy-bust operation around 4 p.m. led to the arrest of Martin Matthew Manalili, listed as the eighth most wanted drug suspect in Biñan. The suspect’s companion, Rommel Carvajal, was collared in a similar buy-bust in Barangay (village) San Antonio.

During interrogation, Manalili told investigators that the gang would take the Toblerone bars “for their ‘chicks’ (women) or as something like reward [for themselves],” Aliño said.

He said Manalili pinpointed the group’s hideout in San Pedro, prompting another police action. Upon arriving at the house, however, the lawmen were fired at and a gunfight ensued, Aliño added.

Three men, identified as Nelson Rodolfo, Manuel Decena and Aries Antal, were killed while the police did not have casualties, Aliño said.

Police found three firearms and drug paraphernalia in the house.