Suspected ‘drug lord,’ 4 killed in shootout with Cebu cops in Bohol

INABANGA, Bohol — Five persons, including a suspected drug lord, were killed following a shootout with Cebu-based policemen in Barangay Cawayan, about five kilometers from the town proper of Inabanga town, Bohol, on Sunday morning.

Insp. Rolando Lumanas Antipolo, chief of the Inabanga police station, identified the fatalities as David Anunciado, a suspected drug lord and his cohorts — Melkin Ohina, Pio Jostol, Alipio Anuta and Leonides Enoc.

Antipolo said they were killed when they attempted to fire back at operatives from the Regional Special Operations Group in Central Visayas (RSOG-7) headed by Supt. George Ylanan and the Regional Intelligence Division of the Police Regional Office (PRO), both based in Cebu, and the Inabanga Police Station.

Shabu. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Arrested were Rene Petecio, Daria Nuñez and Justino Vistal, all residents of Barangay Cawayan.

The suspects allegedly fired at the raiding team who went to Jostol’s house to conduct a search on suspicion that it was being used as a drug den.

The raiding team, who was armed with a search warrant, recovered various firearms, ammunition, two grenades and 42 big packs of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P3 million.

Antipolo said that Inabanga was among the towns in Bohol with the highest street selling price for illegal drugs.

“We do not deny the drug trade here in Inabanga. That is why, in coordination with (other) law enforcement units, we have been conducting more operations to curb illegal activities here,” Antipolo said.

The raid in Inabanga just came a week after Cebu-based cops killed Rowen Torrefiel Secretaria and two of his alleged runners on Banacon Island off Getafe town.

Secretaria was tagged as Bohol’s youngest drug lord and was the number three most wanted drug lord in Cebu.  SFM