Tondo raid yields drugs, firearms; 6 nabbed

Drugs, firearms and ammunition were seized by police from six alleged members of the dreaded "Tirtir Gang" during a raid on the suspects’ hideout in Tondo, Manila yesterday morning.

Western Police District (WPD) director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong said the gang, headed by one Willy Parpar, is responsible for a series of criminal activities, including drug pushing, in Manila.

Armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Enrico Lanzanas of RTC Branch 7, operatives of the WPD’s District Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Group (DAID-SOG) led by Superintendent Marcelino Pedrozo Jr. and aided by barangay officials, swooped down on a house at 1931 Capulong Highway, Tondo.

During the raid, six suspected gang members, including three women, were apprehended by the police. Parpar, the alleged gang leader who has a pending warrant of arrest for a murder charge in Caloocan City, was not in the house at the time of the raid, Pedrozo said.

Bulaong identified the arrested gang members as Arceli Sabile, 54, a widow; Filomena Artus, 52; Ana Nicodemus, 31; Diomedes Bautista, 42; all residing at 1931 Capulong Highway, Tondo; and Manuel Pealago, 36; and Rogelio Javier, 44; both of Block 1, Lot 16 Sta. Cruz, Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Recovered inside the raided house were 11 plastic sachets of shabu weighing at least 100 grams, a digital weighing scale, two caliber .45 pistols with magazines containing 15 bullets, 59 bullets for a carbine rifle, two improvised tooters with traces of shabu and P50,000 cash.

Investigator Police Officer 2 Knowi Sia said the recovered cash came from the group’s drug sales.

Charges of illegal possession of prohibited drugs, firearms and ammunition and violation of the Omnibus Election Code were initially filed against the suspects, while the police are still gathering complainants from the group’s criminal activities.