13 drug suspects killed within 8 hours

A total of 13 drug suspects were killed between an eight-hour period from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, most of them in buy-bust operations conducted by the police.

Five of the suspects were gunned down in Novaliches, Quezon City, after they reportedly shot it out with policemen at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.

In a report filed in the Quezon City Police District, Novaliches station commander Supt. April Young said that their target was 34-year-old Ryan Trinidad who was on their drug watchlist.

Trinidad, however, realized that he was dealing with authorities and ran toward his house at Sitio 1, Santa Marcela corner Belen Streets in Barangay Gulod, where his cohorts were. A shootout ensued, leaving Trinidad, Mark Anthony Pidlawan, Richard Roque and two unidentified men dead.

Recovered from them were six sachets believed to contain “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) a cal. .38 revolver, four magnum .22 firearms and drug paraphernalia.

At 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, Raymark Mendoza and Machoman Patricio were killed by policemen in an antidrug operation on Maligaya Street in Barangay Bagbag, also in Novaliches. Mendoza was also on the police’s drug watchlist.

Case investigator PO3 Elario Wanawan said that the two fired upon policemen after they were cornered. They were taken to Novaliches District Hospital where they passed away after about an hour.

The pair yielded a cal. .45 pistol, a homemade cal. .38 revolver and 12 sachets of suspected shabu.

In the Cubao area, a similar fate befell drug suspect Rodolfo Odtuhan and his friend identified only as Cris. Case investigator PO3 Virgilio Mendoza said that Odtuhan was the target of a drug bust at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday on Benitez Street in Barangay San Martin de Porres.

The two fired at policemen following the transaction but they were outgunned. They were brought for treatment to Quirino Memorial Medical Center but they later died of their injuries.

Recovered from them were two cal. .38 revolvers and nine sachets of suspected shabu.

In Manila, 45-year-old Dennis Gaang, who was jobless and lived at Smokey Mountain in Barangay 128, Tondo, was killed in a shootout with policemen at 11 p.m. Tuesday.

A report to Chief Supt. Joel Coronel, Manila Police District (MPD) director, said Gaang, allegedly a “newly identified pusher” in the area, was transacting with undercover lawmen when he drew a “sumpak” or improvised firearm.

Aside from the gun, six sachets of shabu were recovered from him.

Less than 4 hours later, Reynaldo Guttierez, a homeless man, was shot dead by MPD operatives on Hermosa Street in Tondo. He yielded  a .22-cal. firearm and drugs.

In San Juan City, Aldrin Mina and Michael Galang, both on the police’s drug watchlist, were shot by unidentified gunmen on  a motorcycle on F. Blumentritt Street as they were playing cara y cruz at 1 a.m. Wednesday. The two died while receiving treatment at San Juan Medical Center. —WITH JHESSET O. ENANO