Top P’sinan drug dealer gunned down

ASINGAN, Pangasinan, Philippines – A suspected big-time dealer of illegal drugs here and in the sixth district of Pangasinan was gunned down in a shootout with lawmen while his companion was arrested last Wednesday, authorities said.

The suspect, Elias Sultan, 57, who hailed from Marawi City, fired at combined elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and police with a .45-caliber pistol and lobbed a grenade that fortunately did not explode. 

Eight large plastic sachets of shabu with an estimated street value of P1.05 million were seized, including motorcycles that Sultan used in distributing illegal drugs. 

Sultan’s alleged cohort, a certain Benito Monses, 53, was arrested.

Sultan, who had pending cases of illegal drugs and illegal possession of firearms, died at the Asingan Community Hospital where he was rushed after the shootout. – Eva Visperas, Artemio Dumlao

PDEA-Region 1 director Adrian Alvarino lauded his men, saying, “This is now the third shootout our good men had encountered and killed a drug suspect in this region (and) this shows how dangerous our jobs are.”