Police official allegedly in Duterte narco list killed in Dipolog buy-bust

November 6, 2018

A  police official allegedly in the narco list of President Rodrigo Duterte was killed in a buy-bust operation in Dipolog City on Monday evening.

Superintendent Santiago Rapiz, logistics officer of the  Zambaonga Del Norte police, was killed in a shootout with personnel of the Philippine National Police Counter-Intelligence Task Force (PNP-CITF) in front of Andres Bonfiacio College around 7:40 p.m.

Rapiz just got P50,000 in cash from a cop who posed as a drug buyer when he ran away after sensing it was an entrapment. Policemen cornered Rapiz and a shootout ensued.

Rapiz died from multiple gunshot wounds. Around 112.13 grams of shabu worth P500,000 and a .45 caliber pistol were found.

PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde said the operation against Rapiz shows they are serious in removing scalawags.

"We will not stop until these erring policemen are gone." said Albayalde in a press conference in Davao City. Around 1,700 policemen with reported links to drug syndicates are being watched.

Senior Superintendent Romeo Caramat Jr., head of the CITF, said Rapiz allegedly served as protector of several drug traffickers in Western Visayas, including Melvin Odicta, who was shot dead with his wife at the Caticlan Jetty Port in Aklan on Aug. 2016.

“Allegedly, he was receiving drug protection money in the amount of P700,000 weekly from different drug personalities in Region 6,” Caramat  told reporters in Camp Crame.

Rapiz was reportedly active in illegal drugs when as chief of police of several towns and cities in Negros Occidental. He is said to own five houses and several expensive vehicles.

“He was either protecting those illegal drugs personalities or he himself was responsible in the distribution of illegal drugs,” said Caramat.

Rapiz is the ninth police officer killed in alleged shootouts with CITF operatives. DMS