Canadian drug suspect slain in shootout

MANILA, Philippines - A Canadian national suspected of being a dealer of high-grade drugs was killed in an encounter with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives in Quezon City before dawn yesterday.

A report from the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU) stated Antonio Kcomt sustained gunshot wounds during the gunbattle that occurred at past 3 a.m. in Barangay Ugong.

According to a PDEA report, Kcomt was allegedly carrying P150,000 worth of ecstasy pills when he was killed. The suspect allegedly belonged to the Hell’s Angels gang in Canada, the PDEA said.

QCPD-CIDU head Superintendent Gerardo Ratuita said Kcomt had identification papers, including an ID card, indicating he had been a consultant at the National Bureau of Investigation.

PDEA spokesman Derrick Arnold Carreon said background checks on Kcomt reveal he was a jobless man who was able to rent a P25,000 condominium unit and drive a BMW.

Quoting statements from PDEA agents, Ratuita said Kcomt, who is of Chinese descent, had been the subject of surveillance for almost a year as he was believed to be a supplier of high-grade ecstasy and cocaine in the country.

PDEA operatives led by director for Metro Manila Carlos Gadapan were reportedly tailing the suspect’s silver BMW sedan which had been seen doing the rounds in Greenmeadows, White Plains and Valle Verde subdivisions.

Along Giraffe street in Barangay Ugong, PDEA agents in two vehicles cut into the path of Kcomt’s BMW and ordered him to pull over.

Kcomt, however, did not stop the vehicle and instead reportedly shot at the PDEA agents, who retaliated.

The suspect was hit and lost control of the steering wheel, driving the vehicle into a grassy vacant lot. Kcomt was brought to the Medical City, where he died at around 4 a.m.

Ratuita said apart from the suspect’s identification papers and a .9mm Heckler and Koch, PDEA agents said they found ecstasy capsules in Kcomt’s car.

He added that when the Scene of the Crime Operatives team arrived, “PDEA operatives refused to have the crime scene be processed as they were allegedly conducting their own investigation on the case.”