AN ALLEGEGD drug personality died, while 150 grams of substance believed to be shabu worth P1,020,000 was recovered from his possession following a shootout with arresting police officers in Barangay Bahay, San Miguel, Leyte.
Authorities said they were conducting a buy-bust operation on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, when the suspect, identified as Alejandro Tañega, immediately drew his firearm of unknown caliber and fired toward the operating team while trying to elude the arrest.
The suspect’s action prompted the police officers to defend themselves by firing back, hitting the suspect, according to the information released by the Police Regional Office-Eastern Visayas (PRO 8).
Tañega was listed as a high-value individual and included in the recalibrated Top 10 priority personalities involved in illegal drugs of PRO 8 as of January 2023, the report said.
During the course of the operation, the designated poseur buyer was able to buy from the suspect one piece heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing shabu worth P20,000.
A media representative and a village chairman witnessed the search and inventory at the place of the incident, the PRO 8 report stated.
Authorities also recovered one caliber colt .45 pistol inserted with one magazine loaded with three live ammunition, one chamber loaded, and five fired cartridges in case of unknown caliber.
The confiscated pieces of drug evidence were subsequently brought to the regional police laboratory for further examination.
The operating units include the composite team from RPDEU8 led by Major J-Rale Ocso Paalisbo, 121 SAC PNP SAF led by Major Jaime Immadpang, PIU-LPPO led by Lieutenant Colonel Dinvir Revita, and San Miguel Municipal Police Station led by Major Ronald Espina, all under the supervision of Colonel Reydante Ariza, chief of Regional Intelligence Division, and in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 8. (SunStar Philippines)