What went before: The Odictas
On Aug. 25, Melvin Odicta Sr., 56, and his wife Meriam, 51, presented themselves to Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno after his name landed on the list of the Duterte administration’s top drug suspects in the country.
The Odictas and their lawyers went to the office of Sueno in Camp Crame but they did not surrender. They met with Sueno to clear their names and seek help against death threats.
The PNP had described Odicta, an Iloilo businessman, the No. 1 drug lord, nicknamed “Dragon,” on Panay island. He had been identified as head of one of two main drug groups operating in Iloilo province. He repeatedly denied involvement in drug trafficking.
On Aug. 29, just four days after meeting with Sueno, the Odictas were shot and killed moments after they stepped off a roll-on, roll-off vessel at the port of Caticlan in Aklan province. Inquirer Research
Source: Inquirer Archives
