A POLICE official who allegedly protected a drug lord, now dead for nearly two years, was killed in a drug bust near a fire station in Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City last Sunday night.

Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Chief Supt. Debold Sinas said that Senior Insp. Raymond Gestopa Hortezuela of Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office had been listed as a high-value target in Camp Crame’s internal cleansing program, which targets erring cops.

“There were instances he recycled shabu, but there was no evidence,” said Sinas, who added that the police officer knew how to keep his illegal activities hidden.

Legitimate operation

Hortezuela, a former deputy chief of Guadalupe Police Station in Cebu City, was reportedly the protector of Central Visayas drug lord Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz, who was killed in a police operation in Las Piñas City in 2016.

He is the second active police officer killed in a drug bust in 10 months. In August 2017, PO3 Ryan Martus Quiamco, who was reportedly affiliated with self-confessed drug lord Franz Sabalones, died in a shootout with PRO 7 operatives in Talisay City.

Hortezuela had been listed in the narco-list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 7.

Sinas said the operation against the officer was legitimate, adding that they are monitoring other scalawags in the region and building evidence against them.

Hortezuela, 35, was shot by the operatives after he reportedly resisted arrest and attempted to shoot at them.

A joint personnel from the Counter-Intelligence Task Force-Visayas, Mandaue City Police Office-Drug Enforcement Unit and Regional Intelligence Division 7 carried out the operation past 7 p.m. Scene of the Crime operatives found seven empty shells of .45 pistol in the area.

Sinas also said they received reports that Hortezuela was a drug user.

Negative of drug use

During random drug tests, Hortezuela tested negative. Sinas said the officer possibly had an advance information on the drug test.

Meanwhile, Sinas said that Hortezuela’s family will not receive any benefits from the organization.

“If you are caught in this activity, we will not process benefits for your family,” Sinas said. “They would say we are heartless...That’s our policy. Crime does not pay.”

Hortezuela, a resident of Barangay Looc, Mandaue City, arrived in Cebu last June 8. He told his superior he had a court hearing to attend.

Sinas said they checked court subpoenas, but no document showed that Hortezuela had a scheduled hearing in Cebu last week.

Operatives found inside Hortezuela’s car a transparent plastic containing 75 small triangular sachets containing suspected shabu, a Colt .45 pistol with magazine loaded with bullets, and two P1,000 bills.

They also found a sling bag on the passenger seat containing P68,830, two cell phones, two Philippine National Police identification (ID) cards and other IDs, Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards, a wristwatch, pictures, four money transfer receipts, and a Gloc .9mm pistol with magazine loaded with 15 bullets.

On the backseat, police found two bags containing clothes, a laptop bag containing personal documents, a traveling bag containing clothes, a component speaker with complete accessories and a pair of shoes.

The final search yielded five bullets of a .45 pistol that were found on the vehicle’s arm rest.