QCPD’s kills hit 72 in Du30 drug war

LATEST FOUR TO FALL Another night of body bags in Quezon City, this time in Barangay Tatalon. RAFFY LERMA

Four men died in an antidrug operation in Quezon City late Thursday night, bringing to 72 the number of suspects killed by the local police enforcing President Duterte’s bloody campaign against narcotics.

Senior Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, director of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), said Richard Hilbano, John Lester Nacion, Anaceto Villamor and Jestoni Yu fired at the policemen who were responding to a report about a drug session taking place inside Hilbano’s house on San Gabriel Extension Villa, España 2, in Barangay Tatalon.

When members of the QCPD-Galas station’s anti-illegal drugs unit were about to introduce themselves, the suspects immediately drew their pistols and fired, prompting the officers to retaliate, Eleazar said.

All four suspects were killed on the spot. Recovered at the house were three .38-caliber revolvers, a .45-caliber pistol, a brick of dried marijuana, a sachet believed to contain “shabu,” and several drug paraphernalia.

According to Eleazar,  72 drug suspects have died in QCPD operations since July 1.

But he also stressed that 1,119 suspects had been arrested while 7,950 surrendered to authorities in the same period.

Among the latest to be arrested were Marivic Tradio and Recto Castro, the latter a traffic constable of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

The two were arrested also around midnight on Thursday by policemen who were coming from a drug bust operation on Aurora Boulevard corner E. Rodriguez Avenue in Barangay Immaculate Concepcion.

Tradio and Castro were allegedly caught in the act of using shabu inside the latter’s house. The officers said they saw, through the door that was left ajar, Castro handling a pack of the drug.