HIGH powered firearms were seized from the respective residences of the barangay chairman of Barangay Sta. Rosa, Murcia and his brother Sunday morning.
Senior Police Officer 3 Ronald Singson of the Bacolod Criminal Investigation and Detective Group (CIDG) said that Benton Pareno, 35, the brother of barangay chairman Benjamin Pareno, 42, of Sta. Rosa, Murcia, was collared during the simultaneous operations in their respective residences around 5:50 a.m. Sunday.
It was by virtue of search warrants for illegal possession of firearms and ammunitions issued by Judge Ray Alan Drilon of the Bacolod Regional Trial Court. The CIDG team was led by Police Chief Inspector Benjamin Topacio.
Recovered were a .38 caliber revolver with ammunition from the residence of the barangay chairman and a 12-gauge shotgun, 357 caliber magnum revolver, 45 caliber pistol and live ammunition from the residence of his brother.
“The barangay official, however, was nowhere during the raid at his residence, while his brother, Benton, was arrested after the recovery of said firearms in his own residence,” Singson said.
Singson said when they verified the license of the seized firearms in Camp Crame, they found out that the suspects are not licensed to carry the firearms. They still have to check though the veracity of the documents that Benton presented for his 45 pistol firearm.
He added that the raid is in line with the CIDG’s flagship project dubbed as ‘Oplan Paglalansag Omega,’ which is a product of a series of surveillance operations conducted by the CIDG against the suspects. ( Merlinda A. Pedrosa)