By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Two alleged drug suspects were seriously wounded after engaging in a shootout with anti-drug operatives of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 6 (RPDEU-6) during a buy-bust operation along Malaspina Street in Bacolod City’s Barangay Villamonte yesterday morning.
Police identified the wounded suspects as Hilda Trujillo and Xiever Louis “Boss” Rosales, both residents of the city’s Barangay Bata.
Based on the report issued by the RPDEU-6 to Police Regional Office 6, the unit led by Police Lt. Isidro Victor Villarosa conducted a buy-bust operation wherein one of the undercover cops bought four sachets of suspected shabu in exchange for P44,500.
However, when the suspects discovered they were dealing with an undercover cop they allegedly opened fire and attempted to escape in their pickup truck.
The RPDEU-6 operatives returned fire at the suspects forcing their vehicle to crash into one of the parked trucks in the area.
The suspects were immediately rushed to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City for treatment, and as of press time the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has yet to provide an update on the suspects’ medical conditions.
A search of the vehicle revealed two plastic bags containing a total of 52 sachets of suspected shabu and a .45 caliber pistol.
RPDEU-6 said the recovered illicit substance weighed 380 grams and has a market value of P2,584,000.
It was also revealed that the suspects are allegedly members of the notorious Divinagracia drug group.
Aside from the illegal drug charges, the suspects could also face charges of illegal possession of a firearm./DGB, WDJ