A SUSPECTED drug personality was killed in a shootout with anti-illegal drug operatives after allegedly showing violent resistance during a drug bust in Lourdes, Alubijid town, in Misamis Oriental Thursday dawn, January 3.
Members of the province's drug enforcement unit and Libertad and Alubujid town police carried out a drug bust at 4:55 a.m. which turned into a bloody operation when the suspect identified as Buenaventura Raterta alias “Junrats” was killed.
The police insist that the suspect was armed with a caliber 38 revolver and was first to fire his gun at them, forcing the authorities to retaliate.
The suspect sustained a fatal gunshot wound on his body and did not reach the hospital alive.
Investigators recovered a fired bullet of alleged caliber 45 pistol; the suspect's gun; two fired cartridges of caliber 38 revolver and eight sachets of suspected “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride).
Police also said the suspect was on the DI (Director for Intelligence) list and was known to be an active player in the illegal drug trade.
Authorities are still checking if Raterta is the first “Nanlaban” (fought back) drug suspect killed for this year.