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Sunday, February 08, 2004
9 organized crime group members arrested
By Fred P. Macaraeg
* One suspect slips away unnoticed as crowd mills around
MANGALDAN –- Nine men believed to be members of an organized crime group were arrested Friday night in a checkpoint established in Barangay Gueguesangen by the municipal police and the local office of the Commission on Elections.
The suspects were identified as Christian Sapiera, a resident of Perez-Mayombo in Dagupan City; Cesar Cerezo, Ico Aquino, Martin Aquino of Puelay, Malasiqui; Henry Balolong and Eduardo dela Cruz of Barangay Mayombo, all of Dagupan City; Elan Velasco and Nestor Panlilio, both of Malindong, and Fernando Ignacio of Baay, Lingayen.
Confiscated from the suspects were a passenger jeep plying the Dagupan-Lingayen route, three slot machines, a vault cutter, an ice pick, a U.S.-made caliber .44 magnum revolver with five live ammunitions and four magazines for caliber .45 containing 31 live ammunitions.
Chief Insp. Harris Fama, police chief, said they have yet to confirm the names and addresses given by the suspects.
Another suspect purportedly managed to slip away unnoticed through the crowd of residents who were milling around the vehicle.
He said the suspect, identified by his companions as alias “Boy” of Sitio Aling of Barangay Pantal in Dagupan, is allegedly the owner of the caliber .44 revolver.
Fama said they would still coordinate with the Dagupan police to find out the real identity of “Boy,” who is said to have a police record.
Moreover, the police chief expressed belief that this is an organized crime group because although they are from different places, they know each other and were riding in one vehicle when arrested.
He said Johnny Valencia, municipal election registrar, was also in the checkpoint together with some barangay officials and members of the barangay security force (BSF) led by Barangay Captain Pedong Ocampo.
Citing that the checkpoint had a first block and second block, he said when the jeep passed by the first block, the personnel tried to flag it down but the vehicle did not stop.
When the personnel shouted “Hinto!” the vehicle reportedly slowed down between the first and second blocks, where Fama, Valencia and Ocampo were stationed.
Fama said when they saw the slot machines, they conducted a visual search and seized the items, after which they directed the 10 occupants to alight from the vehicle.
One of the suspects circumspectly mingled with the barangay residents crowding the vehicle and slipped away unnoticed, he said.
A BSF member “told us that the man belonged to the group but what’s wrong was that he did not inform us immediately,” he said.
Fama said they are still investigating where the caliber .45 pistol is, since they recovered four magazines for the pistol.
He said only three police personnel were conducting the search in the vehicle against 10 suspects and several barangay folks.
“The others were still manning the checkpoints,” he said, adding someone could have boarded the jeep and gotten the pistol.
Fama opined the suspects could be the same persons responsible for the reported theft of slot machines from some residences in the town.
“They could be using the vault cutter in opening the vault of the slot machines,” he said.
Saying the suspects contended they were about to repair the machines, Fama expressed doubt over such alibi because it was too late in the night to be doing such a thing.
(February 8, 2004 issue)
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