Cops seize illegal guns, ammo from Batangas town mayor’s farm

MANILA, Philippines — A farm reportedly owned by the town mayor of Mataas na Kahoy, Batangas, yielded several firearms and ammunition during a raid of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Sunday morning.

However, the subject of the arrest and search warrants – town mayor Jay Ilagan – was not around during the police operation.

Arrested instead at the JMI Farm in Barangay Santol was a retired soldier, Danilo Gonzales, 59.

Senior Supt. Ronald Lee, the chief of the CIDG-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR), said Ilagan was the subject of a search warrant for illegal possession of firearms, as well as an arrest warrant.

Among the guns seized were an STI Super 38 pistol, an AK-47 rifle with its serial number defaced, and an Armscor cal. 45 pistol.

Also recovered were holsters, magazines, ammunition, magazine pouches and a rifle bag for the firearms.

The pieces of ammunition of different calibers totalled 142, Lee said.  SFM