Car attack in Los Baños tied to illegal drugs deal

SAN PEDRO CITY—The car attack, which resulted in the deaths of a couple in Los Baños, Laguna province, on Monday morning could have stemmed from an illegal drugs deal after police officers confirmed the identities of the victims.

Liezel Morales, 36, and her husband Merlito were on board a black Toyota Avanza when two motorcycle-riding men shot at their vehicle several times before hurling a grenade that set it on fire in Barangay Bayog around 6:15 a.m., said Supt. Romeo Desiderio, Los Baños police chief.

Based on what was left of their identification cards recovered by the police, the couple was from Purok 4, Barangay Concepcion in San Pablo City, also in Laguna. “Records from San Pablo (police) showed that they were drug personalities,” Desiderio said, without giving details.

He said that before the attack, some residents had noticed the couple’s vehicle going around the neighborhood “as if they were lost.”

“When asked who they were looking for, the couple only answered (the residents) that they were just meeting someone,” he added.

It was then that the gunmen arrived and peppered the couple’s vehicle with bullets. “It seemed they were set up,” Desiderio said.

Police also recovered partly burned cash worth “hundreds of thousands” from the vehicle.

Desiderio said that while the car belonged to a relative of the couple, its plate number was registered to another vehicle. “This means they drove (to Los Baños) using a different plate number,” he said.

He said investigators had suspects in the killing, but he refused to give details as follow-up operations continued. Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon