Police seize guns, right-hand vehicles in Danao, Cebu City

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Thursday, June 30, 2011

FIFTY firearms worth P1 million were confiscated in a raid in Barangay Dung-goan, Danao City yesterday afternoon.

A team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 conducted the raid, authorized by a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 17 Judge Silvestre Maamo Jr.

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TV Patrol Central Visayas said the warrant was issued against the firearm manufacturing operations of the Workers’ League of Danao (World), a cooperative.

The law enforcers arrested 16 gun makers and recovered spare parts and equipment used in manufacturing guns, which are valued at P5 million.

CIDG 7 said the cooperative’s permit to operate expired on Dec. 20, 2010 but World did not renew it.

Surveillance

Police conducted surveillance on the cooperative for three months.

The cooperative’s operations experienced problems when its founder died, authorities said.

Gun makers who were arrested will be charged with illegal manufacturing and possession of firearms, police said.

CIDG 7 said it is also monitoring other gun manufacturers in Danao.

In another operation, the CIDG 7 confiscated P3 million worth of right-hand vehicles at a building in the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City, late afternoon last Tuesday.

The 13 right-hand-drive vehicles were allegedly owned by Pakistani nationals Jin Masa, Shakeel Hussein, a certain “Sunny,” and a “Mr. Seim.”

But during the raid at Benedicto Building on J. De Vera St., the police did not find the suspects.

Sr. Insp. Ricky Neron of CIDG said they have been observing the suspects for a month on suspicion they were illegally importing right-hand-drive vehicles.

The raid was authorized by a warrant issued by Judge Enriqueta Be-larmino of the Regional Trial Court Branch 57.

The confiscated disassembled vehicles were a Suzuki wagon, three Mitsubishi Pajero, four Toyota Revo, three Isuzu Bighorn, two Honda Fit, and three Suzuki multicabs.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on June 30, 2011.