Superintendent Sterling Ray—mund Blanco, intelligence chief of the La Union police, told The STAR that the fake gold bars, each four inches thick and 15 inches long, were seized from Arsenio Alvear, 52, a resident of Manilao, San Fabian, Pangasinan.
Alvear, along with two cohorts, identified as Augusto and Alex Cruz, who both evaded arrest, tried to sell the fake gold bars to retired Gen. Gregorio Fider, 82, whom they met at a cockpit in Rosario, La Union.
Inspector Leopoldo Paredes, Pugo police chief, said Alvear’s group initially managed to convince Fider to buy the gold bars for only P300,000 after he was shown an inch-long gold sample.
Fider reportedly paid an initial P200,000, promising to give Alvear the balance when he accompanied him to Manila to sell the gold bars.
Alvear’s cohorts convinced him to go with Fider, telling him that he would get an additional P1-million commission.
However, as Alvear’s cohorts alighted from Fider’s car, the retired general’s driver, Romeo Morfe, examined the gold bars as he grew suspicious of their color.
He immediately told Fider, who has an eyesight problem, that the gold seemed spurious.
At that instance, Alvear tried to escape, but was prevented by Morfe, who then sought police help.
Alvear said he was just recruited to sell the fake gold bars, which were really made of solid iron.