3 ‘gunrunners’ nabbed

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – Three suspected gunrunners were arrested Monday noon at Valeria Extension in Barangay Nonoy of this city.

The three — identified as Romeo Tan, 67, Fernando Sucarno, 42, and Fernando Gonzales, 63 — sold the guns to the poseur buyers who were members of the Regional Special Operations Group.

The police arrested the suspects and recovered from them a KG 9mm machine pistol with suppressor (serial number 256315) with two magazines loaded with 20 ammunition; three .45-caliber pistols (SNs 284950, 905151, and 0125882) with six empty magazines; and a lower receiver of .45-caliber pistol (SN 110317).

Also recovered from the suspects were P190,000 cash and two mobile phones with records of the suspects’ transactions.

In a press conference yesterday, Chief Superintendent Bernardo Diaz, Police Regional Office-6 director, said, “Most of their buyers were members of criminal gangs involved in robberies, guns-for-hire, and illegal drug trade in the provinces of Capiz, Antique, and Iloilo,” he added.

Tan allegedly got his guns from a female supplier in Cebu who transports the illegally-manufactured firearms via RoRo with the port of Dumangas as the transhipment point. He also maintained a gunsmith shop in his residence without proper authority, police said.

The suspects are now detained and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition).