POLICE killed two suspected drug dealers in a drug bust in village of Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro City, Friday, September 30.
Cliff “Tatalos” Naqua and Jan Ben Rosagaran, both residents of Macabalan village were killed in a police operation conducted by Cagayan de Oro Police Station 5 at the Acretion Area, of Macabalan village at 4:30 p.m., Friday.
Police Senior Inspector Sebastian Chua, station commander of Police Station 5, said the drug bust was done in the residence of Rosagaran where undercover police operatives were said to have bought one sachet of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” worth P500 before arresting Naqua and Rosagaran.
Policemen later said Cliff Naqua, despite being cuffed, continued to resist and was able to forcibly break his handcuffs.
Naqua then grabbed a grenade with his free hand, forcing policemen to fatally shoot him.
Police said Rosagaran, on the other hand, grabbed a .38 caliber revolver which prompted policemen to shoot.
Before the two were removed from the crime scene by funeral parlor attendants, the Cagayan de Oro Bomb Squad was called to recover the grenade which was pinned underneath Naqua's body.
Kagawad Donald Salorico, one of the village officers who responded to the incident said the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) recovered Rosagaran's .38 caliber revolver together with another .45 caliber revolver from the scene.
Three "jumbo-sized" packets of suspected shabu were also found in Rosagaran's house.
"Those two, Tatalos and Jan Ben, were actually included in the list of persons related to drug dealings here in Barangay Macabalan. In fact, there have been numerous reports from the neighboring residences and from other drug users and sellers who surrendered to the authorities that there is a very active shabu activity in this area connected to them both," said Salorico.
Salorico added that Naqua and Rosagaran were also known to have actively defied Operation Tokhang, reportedly vowing to never surrender to the authorities.