Alleged drug pusher slain, 2 held in Lucena buy-busts

LUCENA CITY –– A suspected drug pusher was slain in an alleged shootout with policemen in Lucena City Wednesday night.

Joey Lito Bagasbas, 39, was killed in a reported shootout with anti-illegal drugs operatives after he allegedly sold “shabu” (crystal meth) to an undercover police officer in Barangay 8 at 9:20 p.m., Quezon police chief Colonel Ramil Montilla said in a report.

Bagasbas, who was in the drugs watch list, was about to be arrested when he reportedly resisted and drew his caliber .38 revolver, shot the police agent but missed.

One of the back-up policemen returned fire and killed Bagasbas on the spot.

Aside from the firearm, the authorities also confiscated a plastic sachet containing less than one gram of shabu.

Lucena policemen also arrested suspected drug pushers Ramil Castilla, 51, and Elmar Dando, 31, in separate buy-bust operations in Barangays Ibabang Dupay and Dalahican in the afternoon.

Police seized five grams of shabu from Castilla and 1.36 grams from Dando. The confiscated illegal drugs were worth P41,340 in the street market.

Montilla reported that at least 29 suspected drug pushers were killed and close to 400 were arrested in the intensified anti-drug operations by policemen in Quezon province since March when he assumed office.

Police said most of those who died in drug-related killings resisted arrest and engaged policemen in shootouts.