4 suspects killed in P272 million drug bust

MANILA, Philippines — Four men believed to be members of a major drug trafficking ring were shot dead during an anti-narcotics operation that yielded at least P272 million worth of shabu in Taguig City yesterday morning.

Christopher Ocarol, alias Riking, Allan Catalan and two other unidentified suspects were killed in what police said was a shootout along C-6 Road in Barangay Napindan at around 5:35 a.m.

Taguig police chief Col. Celso Rodriguez said the sting was launched by operatives of the National Capital Region Police Office Drug Enforcement Group (DEG) and the city police.

According to a police report, the suspects were allegedly running a major drug trafficking route that links Metro Manila and Central Visayas.

Probers said they recovered from the suspects around 40 kilos of shabu. Each kilo was stuffed in a package labeled as Chinese tea.

Prior to the shootout, the suspects allegedly sold a kilo of shabu to a police officer who posed as a buyer.

Rodriguez said an encounter happened when the suspects fired at the lawmen after they sensed that they were dealing with police.

Probers said they also confiscated a cache of firearms, including two Bushmaster assault rifles, a KG-9 machine pistol and two handguns.

Authorities said Ocarol and Catalan have been operating in Central Visayas since 2000 until they were jailed on drug charges. They were released from prison in 2015.

While in prison, police said the suspects got to know drug convict Vicente Sy, a member of the Bilibid 14 tagged in the drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

“To avoid detection in Central Visayas, the suspects estabished their base of operation in Metro Manila and started shipping drugs to Cebu,” the DEG said. “The group’s drug trade expanded to Taguig and Pasig City until the duo became high rollers.”