CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija — At least five suspected drug peddlers were killed and three others were arrested in intensified anti-drug operations conducted by various police stations in Nueva Ecija Wednesday and Thursday.
The Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office identified the fatalities as Elmer Nuñez, 20, a resident of San Vicente, Gapan City; Marvin De Leon of Barangay San Isidro, this city; Arnold Supnit, 45, of Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija; and two unidentified others in Gen. Natividad and Sta. Rosa towns.
Those arrested were Rommel Encinares, 22, of Barangay Sto. Cristo Norte, Gapan City; a 16-year-old boy from Barangay Maturanoc, Guimba; and Erick Esteban, 38, of Barangay Niyugan Jaen.
Encinares and Esteban yielded shabu or crystal meth during a buy-bust and implementation of search warrant, respectively while the minor yielded suspected dried marijuana leaves and sticks, police said.
According to the police reports, all those killed were the first to fire at policemen using “short firearms” after they apparently sensed they were dealing with undercover lawmen during the separate buy-bust operations.
Investigators recovered guns, drugs and marked money from the suspects. (Marilyn Galang/PNA)
