Four drug suspects die as authorities seize P272m worth of alleged drugs in Taguig

December 21, 2020

Authorities seized P272 million worth of reported illegal drugs while four alleged drug suspects died in a shootout during a buy-bust operation in Taguig City early Monday morning.

General Debold Sinas, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said two of the suspects were known to be operating in Central Visayas since 2000 until they were briefly imprisoned at the National Penitentiary and the Cebu City Jail for drug cases.

He said Christopher Ocarol and Allan Catalan were released on appeal in 2015.

“They were the source of voluminous shipments of illegal drugs in Central Visayas,” Sinas said.

To avoid detection in Central Visayas, the two established their base of operation in Metro Manila and started shipping small quantities weekly of illegal drugs to Cebu.

Sinas said the suspects’ drug activities expanded to Taguig and Pasig and they became casino high rollers.

“The modus of their transportation is the use of vehicles which are being left in malls by their cohorts and subsequently being driven by designated couriers,” he said.

Ocarol and Catalan, together with two other cohorts, died in a ensuing shootout after the duo fired at arresting police officers from PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) along C6 Road in Barangay Napindan, Taguig City around 5:30am.

Recovered from them were 40 kilograms of shabu worth P272-million and assorted high-powered firearms and pistols.

Sinas said the suspects' contact allegedly came from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

“We are trying to follow this network so that at least we are able to stop one network to flow (illegal) drugs from Metro Manila to Central Visayas,” he said. Ella Dionisio/DMS