Big-time Isabela drug lord killed in QC safe house

An alleged notorious drug lord in Isabela province was killed on Sunday in a shootout with policemen who went to his safe house in Road 1, Barangay Pag-asa, Quezon City.

Members of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) and the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) of the Police Regional Office 2 (PRO-2) were trying to serve Johnny de Leon with a search warrant around 5 a.m. when someone inside the house fired at them.

The 53-year-old De Leon was killed, along with Arnold Manipon and a still unidentified man.

“De Leon’s death sends a strong message to his men in Cagayan Valley region,” said Senior Supt. Remus Medina, PRO2-RID chief.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency had classified De Leon as a high-value target, he added. The suspect was also on the PRO-2 watch list for several years as a drug supplier in Isabela, Cagayan, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya provinces.

“Like many drug lords, De Leon operated through his men. His drug syndicate members included retired police senior superintendents and retired prosecutors,” said Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, QCPD director.

Several drug-related charges were filed against De Leon but these were all dismissed because of his connections, Medina said.

Found in the house were three guns, a bank book with a balance of P1.2 million and six sachets of “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride).