Ex-cop, 2 others caught selling stolen motorcycles

MANILA, Philippines — Three people, including a former police officer, were arrested for allegedly selling stolen motorcycles in Manila on Friday.

Former corporal Mark Joseph Patayan, Jhon Ace Ortiz and Jorje Timothy Guinto were apprehended in a sting at the corner of Domingo Santiago and G. Tuazon streets in Sampaloc at around 4:55 a.m., National Capital Region Police Office director Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said.

The operation was based on a complaint from a man who told probers that he bought a motorcycle from the suspects, unaware that vehicle was stolen.

Acting on the report, police conducted an entrapment operation wherein the complainant again bought a motorcycle in exchange for P117,000.

The suspects were arrested after receiving the marked money. Seized from them were three motorcycles, a 9mm handgun, identification cards and cell phones.

The suspects were charged with estafa while Patayan was slapped with charges of usurpation of authority, falsification of documents and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.