10 arrested, guns, ammo seized in Zambo Sur mine site

MANILA, Philippines - At least 10 persons were arrested and high-powered firearms, ammunition and hazardous chemicals were seized during a raid by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on a mining site in Zamboanga del Sur on Friday.

CIDG Region 9 chief Senior Superintendent Edgar Danao identified those arrested as Avelino Penniz, 50; Tirso Calderon, 48; Christopher Umpad, 24; Marcial Pinero, 28; Pelmar Villaluz, 33; Alberto Llamos, 59; Ronald Cariaga, 19; Esidro Cuardra, 32; Camilo Calunsag, 58; and a 17-year-old boy.

Danao said joint operatives of the CIDG, local police, officials from the Mines and Geological Bureau and a local security team from Toronto Ventures served 10 search warrants for illegal possession of firearms and violation of the Toxic Substance and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990 on the suspects.

He said the operators of the mining site identified as Julieto Monding, alias Ging-ging, and Rosalyn Paquit were not present during the raid.

Seized from the suspects were an M14 and M16 rifles, a KG9 machine pistol, an SAS 12 shotgun, a Daewoo USAS-12 shotgun, a Daewoo K3 machine gun, two caliber .45 pistols, one caliber .38 revolver, three grenades, four sacks of commercial dynamites and assorted rounds of ammunition.

Also seized from the suspects were 437 kilos of cyanide, three plastic containers of nitric acid, 45 sacks of limestone, 25 sacks of pregnant carbon, three sacks of activated carbon, one liter of potassium iodide and one liter of silver nitrate.