STEPPED-UP manhunt operations by members of the Cagayan Police Provincial Office last week led to the arrest of four most wanted persons in the province, one of them a ‘high-value drug target,’ local police director, Colonel Ariel N. Quilang told People’s Tonight yesterday.
In a report to Police Regional Office 2 director, Brigadier General Crizaldo O. Nieves, the official said the suspects were arrested in the wake of their Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations or ‘One-Time, Big-Time’ operations to arrest most wanted personalities and other law offenders in the province in a single day.
Quilang said that one of the suspects he identified as Kennedy Ligpit is a 21-year-old ‘high-value individual’ from Bgy. Minanga, Aparri who was arrested in a buy-bust inside the Dreamland Hotel Compound in Macanaya area at 1 a.m. yesterday.
The suspect yielded dried marijuana leaves during the operation conducted by members of the Aparri Municipal Police Station led by Lt. Rogelio Cristobal. Also recovered from the suspect were two marked P100 bills paid to him by an undercover officer.
The suspect, a repeat drug offender, will be facing non-bailable charges for sale and possession of prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Quilang said the suspect did not avail of plea bargaining during investigation.
The official said the three other arrested suspects include two senior citizens facing non-bailable charges.
One of the two identified as Melchor Tollo, a 61-year- old resident of Bgy. Cullit, Camalanigan, was arrested by a tracker team from the Camalaniugan Municipal Police Station led by Captain Alleh Bacuyag inside Rosana Heights in Bgy. San Manuel, San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan at 8:30 p.m. Thursday on the strength of a warrant of arrest for murder issued by Judge Emerlito Agcaoili of the Apari, Cagayan Regional Trial Court Branch 9 on July 16, 1992.
The suspect was described as the no. 4 most wanted person in Cagayan prior to his arrest.
The 2nd suspect, identified as 81-year-old Alfredo Tubera, a resident of San Nicolas, Ilocos Sur was arrested by officers from the Sanchez Mira MPS and the Cagayan PPO’s Provincial Intelligence Unit led by Major Joefferson Gannaban and Maj. Stanley Banan in Bgy. San Juan, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur at 11:20 a.m. Thursday
Quilang said the octogenarian is the subject of a warrant of arrest for two counts of rape issued by Judge Eugenio Tangonan of the Ballesteros RTC Branch 33 on August 7, 1997. No bail was recommended for the temporary freedom of the old man who was listed as the 5th most wanted man in Cagayan.
The 3rd suspect, identified as Redeny Ibus, 57, a farmer from Bgy. Progressive, Gonzaga, was arrested by local policemen led by Cpt. Jhun Jhun Balisi on the basis of a warrant of arrest for violation of Presidential Decree 1866 or the old law on illegal possession of firearm issued by Judge Rolando Velasco of the Aparri RTC Branch 6 on January 17, 2006. A P100,000 bail was recommended for his provisional liberty.
