POLICE identified the three companions of alleged drug lord Mark Samson Aguirre alias Alson Aguirre, who were killed in a drug bust in Manapla, Negros Occidental.
They were identified by their own families.
Senior Insp. Julius Caesar Colado, chief of the Manapla Municipal Police Station, said on Tuesday, March 19, that Aguirre’s companions were identified as Melo Flores, 50; Ruben Pinoy, 41, and Renante Sombero, all residents of Manapla.
He said their families surfaced at the police station and identified them.
“We have now their identities and none of them is a relative or a brother of Aguirre. We only earlier assumed that one of the fatalities was a brother of Aguirre,” Colado said, correcting earlier reports.
Colado noted that Aguirre’s companions served as his security guard in the area.
On Monday, March 18, Aguirre and his three companions were killed in a drug bust at Hacienda Bariw in Barangay Sta. Teresa, Manapla.
The drug bust conducted by operatives of Manapla Municipal Police Station also led to the arrest of Aguirre’s live-in partner, Rodjilyn Santosidad, and Honorio Espanola Jr., 55, an administrator of Hacienda Bariw and resident of Barangay Mandalagan.
Police recovered from Aguirre’s possession 171 grams of shabu with an estimated market value of P1.3 million, an M16 rifle, a KG9, two .45 caliber revolvers, sub-machine gun, a .357 revolver, two handheld radios, three cellular phones and one grenade.
Police also recovered a .45 caliber revolver from Espanola’s possession.
After the thorough investigation, Colado said Santosidad was released from the custody Tuesday morning after they determined that she didn’t have any involvement in the illegal activity of her live-in partner.
He said only Espanola was detained and will be charged with violation of Republic Act 10591 in relation to the Commission on Elections gun ban.
The police also determined that Espanola did not serve as lookout of Aguirre’s group in the area.
Colado said Aguirre’s death will also reduce the supply of illegal drugs not only in Manapla, but also in the whole Negros Occidental.
He said Aguirre was identified as a big supplier of illegal drugs in Negros Occidental and a member of the Divinagracia Syndicate Group in Negros Occidental.
“We are only doing our job and there was no extra-judicial killing. We only defended ourselves against them, but if their families will file charges against us, we are also ready to face them,” he added.