Drug syndicate chief, pal killed

CEBU, Philippines — A dismissed policeman, who has been allegedly leading a drug syndicate and gun-for-hire activities in southern Cebu, and his alleged trusted aide were killed in a shootout with police operatives Thursday dawn in Barangay Tungkil, Minglanilla town.

Regional Drug Enforcement Unit-7 personnel were supposed to serve multiple warrants of arrest against Quirante Drug Syndicate’s alleged leader, Basilio “Nilo” Quirante, and his right hand, Faustino Saromines, when the two allegedly shot it out with the authorities.

Police Regional Office-7 chief Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro said Quirante and Saromines topped the list of most wanted persons in Central Visayas. In Dumanjug, Cebu where Quirante hailed, he and Saromines occupied the top two spots on the list of most wanted individuals.

Ferro also said the duo was believed to have been included in President Duterte’s list of criminals.

Quirante was facing standing warrants of arrest for multiple attempted murder and violation of Sections 5 and 6 of Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act while Saromines was facing charges for murder and two counts of frustrated murder.

When operatives arrived at the place in Tungkil where Quirante and Saromines were located, the suspects allegedly tried to elude arrest and instead fired at the lawmen.

This prompted the policemen to fire back, which led to the deaths of Quirante and Saromines.

Among the pieces of evidence recovered were one KG9 sub-machine gun with one magazine and 12 ammunition; one caliber .45 pistol with one magazine and three pieces of ammunition; one piece caliber .45 empty shell; one 9mm empty shell; 35 sachets of suspected shabu; several drug paraphernalia; and several identification cards with name “Basilio Nilo Quirante.”

Who was Nilo Quirante?

Police records showed that Quirante, a former policeman who was dismissed from the service in 1989, led the drug and gun-for-hire operations of the so-called Quirante Drug Syndicate.

“He (Quirante) organized these gun-for-hire because daghan nga mga alleged na syndicates soliciting their services in exchange for money. And then maybe he was used by unscrupulous politicians to do some illegal activities,” Ferro told reporters.

Ferro believed that Quirante, a native of Dumanjug, may have moved to Minglanilla to dodge arrest.

Quirante entered the police in 1975 but went on absence without official leave (AWOL) in 1989 when he was then assigned at San Francisco Police Station in Camotes. Eventually, he was dismissed.

After his dismissal, he was allegedly involved in illegal gambling activities as “general coordinator” in the southern part of Cebu.

In 1990, he was arrested for illegal drugs and was detained at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center where he allegedly became the “mayor of the inmates,” a position that allowed him to grow his “connections.”

In 2010, after his release, he was appointed consultant on police matters by then Dumanjug mayor Nelson Garcia. He ran for a seat in the municipal council in 2013 but lost, and was later appointed again as consultant on police matters.

Quirante escaped a buy-bust operation on August 9, 2015. While on the run, he was also linked to an explosion and strafing incident in Barangay Masa, Dumanjug on December 4 that same year.

Ferro said his men have yet to check Quirante’s possible participation in other shooting incidents in Cebu, particularly those involving public officials.

‘Justice served’

For the PRO-7 chief, deaths of Quirante and Saromines spell justice for the families of those they allegedly murdered or attempted to murder.

He added that it also means justice for all the other crimes they were charged with.

“The other effect is that the leader of this criminal syndicate has finally been neutralized, and soon the group will surely collapse. Without a leader, they will be having a hard time reorganizing themselves,” said Ferro.

Yet he also said that the possibility of reorganization cannot always be discounted.

Be that as it may, he said the police are ready to pursue the group’s remnants.

“I repeat: I won’t stop until all of you will be arrested,” Ferro said in stern warning to criminals on the loose.

The operation against Quirante and Saromines was in line with the PNP's Manhunt Charlie that aims to serve standing warrants of arrest against those charged with crimes. /JMD (FREEMAN)