A CACHE of firearms, grenades, and illegal drugs were seized by agents of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in a raid at the house of Senior Police Officer 1 Joshua Barile, at Regent Pearl Homes in Barangay Alijis Friday.
Barile, who was tagged in the killing of two family members of Negros Island top drug suspect Ricky Serenio, heads the explosive office section of Regional Civil Security Unit-Negros.
Armed with a search warrant issued by a judge in Manila, joint operatives of the NBI, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Philippine National Police, swooped down the house of Barile, who is now in the custody of the NBI.
NBI-Bacolod head Renoir Baldovino, in an interview with SunStar Bacolod last night, said they recovered more than 50 firearms, including M16 and M4 assault rifles, four grenades, more than 1,000 assorted ammunition and a sachet containing suspected “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride).
He said they have placed the policeman under surveillance for about a month, adding that they learned about Barile’s possession of firearms, based on intelligence information.
Baldovino said that all firearms seized in Barile’s home were “illegal.”
“It’s illegal because he couldn’t present the documents. He has no papers to show. In the absence of documents, it is (considered) illegal,” he added.
He added that Barile stored “too many” firearms in his house.
However, Barile, in media interviews, said the recovered firearms were evidence from the raids conducted by his unit, and these were placed in his house for safekeeping.
He added that the explosives found above the washing machine and the plastic sachet containing suspected shabu were planted.
Barile said he believes that a politician is behind the raid. Baldovino refused to comment on such claim.
Barile will face charges for illegal possession of firearms, explosives, and ammunition.
He is also facing two murder complaints before the City Prosecutor’s Office. He was the alleged gunman in the shooting of the father and younger brother of Ricky Serenio, the alleged bagman of Berya drug group who linked several ranking policemen and other law enforcers, to the illegal drug trade in Negros Island Region.
Barile vehemently denied the accusations against him.