Northern Police District intelligence agents busted a car theft gang with the arrest of its alleged leader – a police officer – and a group member during a raid at the suspects’ lair in Caloocan City a few minutes past midnight yesterday.
Superintendent Reynaldo Orante, NPD-District Police Intelligence Unit chief, identified the suspects as Police Officer 1 Manolito Manantan, 31, assigned at Regional Mobile Group-Region 4 Police Office based in Camp Vicente Lim, Calamba, Laguna; and Jose Artie “JoArt” Perez, 34, a resident of Barangay Longos, Malabon City.
The NPD recovered from the suspects at least three stolen motorcycles—a black Zion with plate number BS-2348, a white Suzuki and a red Yamaha, both without license plates.
Manantan also yielded an unlicensed nine-millimeter pistol loaded with bullets.
DPIU investigator PO2 Enrique Pangan said the Zion motorcycle was stolen in Barangay Tatalon, Quezon City at around 9 p.m. Saturday, based on a report by the Galas, Quezon City police.
Early Saturday, NPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Tango received intelligence reports that the Perez gang, led by a police officer and a certain Jerriz Perez, was to deliver stolen motorcycles to their lair somewhere in Dagat-Dagat, Caloocan City that day. Tango directed the DPIU to locate the suspects’ hideout.
A team composed of SPO1 Ernesto Mandanas, PO3 Enrie Escalaw, PO3 Henry Pineda, PO3 Virgo Alivio, PO3 Allan Llantino, PO2 Ronald Mesina, and Pangan found the group’s lair at around 12:10 a.m. on Mithi Street in Dagat-Dagatan, which resulted in the arrest of the suspects, and the recovery of the three motorcycles.
Orante said Jerriz Perez was already arrested in Malabon last year for carjacking but posted bail while Manantan was listed in the DPIU-Order of Battle since October last year for his reported connection to car thieves.
Interviewed by The STAR, Manantan denied involvement in car theft. He said he was with the group during the raid because he is a deep penetration agent working against the gang.
Perez, for his part, also denied being a member of a car theft gang but said that his younger brother Jerriz is involved in carnapping and is also into illegal drugs.
NPD-anti narcotics chief, Chief Inspector Bartolome “Bong” Tarnate confirmed that the younger Perez is engaged in illegal drug activity and was arrested by his men on November last year but was able to bail out of jail.
Orante said the Perez car theft gang is composed of at least seven men—Manantan, Jerriz and JoArt Perez, with four others identified only as Joy, Joan, Onse and Levis.
The group reportedly operates in Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) and adjacent cities and provinces, up to Region 4.
Orante said the Perez group is one of two notorious car theft gangs in Camanava. The other one is the Dan-Dan group, which is also being sought by the DPIU agents.