By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The cousin of slain Bacolod City drug lord Ramy Poja was killed Monday night following a shootout with Talisay City Police Station anti-drug operatives at Purok Tumpok in the city’s Barangay Zone 15.

Police identified the fatality as Rusty Poja Constantino, a resident of Barangay Banago, Bacolod City.

Based on information released by the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, Constantino allegedly sold one elongated sachet of suspected shabu to an undercover cop in exchange for P300.

However, as police operatives moved in, the suspect reportedly drew a .38 caliber revolver and attempted to shoot the undercover officer.

The police officer, however, managed to parry the suspect’s weapon and pulled his own service firearm and retaliated, killing Constantino on the spot.

Authorities recovered three big and nine elongated sachets of suspected shabu, along with the suspect’s .38 caliber revolver.

Also recovered from the crime scene was drug paraphernalia and three empty 9mm shells.

Previously, Constantino was identified as one of the wounded suspects during the Purok Sibucao shootout in Barangay Banago last year, which resulted in his cousin’s death.

The suspect was also tagged as the eighth-most wanted individual by Bacolod City Police Station 3 and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Negros Occidental.

He also had a pending arrest warrant on drug-related charges./DGB, WDJ