1 of 6 drug suspects killed in Taguig buy-bust shootout

A drug suspect who yielded P2 million worth of crystal meth, locally known as shabu, in a buy-bust operation was killed in an encounter with Quezon City police officers on Thursday.

Brig. Gen. Joselito Esquivel Jr., Quezon City Police District director, identified the suspect as Alex Abdul alias “Manila Boy” of SO Kangkungan, Barangay New Lower Bicutan, Taguig City.

Esquivel said the operation was a follow-up to a previous drug sting conducted by Police Station 7 in Barangay San Roque in Cubao, Quezon City, on Feb. 28. Two drug suspects who yielded 20 sachets of shabu identified Abdul as their source of illegal drugs.

Five of Abdul’s accomplices were also arrested during the follow-up operation — namely, Jenny Lynne Poja, 31; Maria Cristina Barrera, 28; Romeo Santizas, 41; Marissa Cilamor, 30; and Mark Ronnel Padilla, 20

Poja is a resident of Barangay Bangbang and the rest are residents of Barangay South Signal Village.

According to Esquivel, operatives from the Cubao Police Station (PS 7) tried to set a drug deal with Abdul as part of an entrapment operation at No. 24 Famela St. in Barangay South Signal Village in Taguig.

But when the suspect sensed the presence of police officers, he pulled out his handgun and fired at them.

A brief shootout reportedly ensued, which resulted in Abdul being killed.

Police confiscated from the suspects around 300 grams of shabu, a .45-caliber Para-Ordnance pistol with serial No. 8077542, 13 live rounds of ammunition for the pistol, two cellular phones, and drug paraphernalia. /atm