Soldier, 2 others nabbed for gunrunning

A soldier and two civilians were arrested on Saturday for alleged gunrunning—selling firearms to private armed groups in Leyte.

Pfc. Dennis Cardenas was apprehended in one operation while civilians Lenelito Liporada and Roel Fumar were nabbed in another, which also led to the recovery of 13 unlicensed guns.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said Cardenas belonged to the Philippine Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion.

“Cardenas was allegedly a middleman to prospective gun buyers who were usually members of private armed groups in Leyte,” said CIDG chief Director Benjamin Magalong.

The CIDG Eastern Visayas office moved to arrest Cardenas and his cohorts after receiving information from concerned citizens about the gunrunning activities of a soldier in Barangay (village) Hibucawan, Jaro, and another gunrunner in Barangay Cogon, Palo, both in Leyte.

After two weeks of surveillance, the CIDG planned an entrapment on Saturday morning in Barangay Hibucawan and Barangay Cogon, leading to the arrest of Liporada, and Cardenas who was with Fumar.–Julie M. Aurelio