3 notorious drug traders nabbed after shootout

BAGUIO CITY – Two notorious drug traders and a fake policeman were successively arrested by combined anti-narcotics agents and police operatives after a brief shootout that ensued during a drub buy bust operation along Lower Magsaysay here Wednesday morning.
Juvenal Azurin, regional director of the Cordillera office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-CAR), identified the arrested individuals during the sting operation as Bernie Emocling Distor alias Berning, 24, single, laborer, resident of Private Road, Baguio City and a native of Pozorrubio, Pangasinan; Jamal Taki Barodi alias Jamal, 20, single, DVD vendor, resident of T. Alonzo, Baguio City and a native of Marawi City; and Marvin John Tufay Loyola, 29, married, and a resident of La Trinidad, Benguet.
However, Azurin admitted another suspect,  whome he identified as Ansano Pumbaya, eluded arrest when another unidentified cohort fired at the arresting officers during the said operation.
The PDEA-CAR official disclosed Distor, a member of a local drug group, Barodi and Pumbaya agreed to sell a sachet containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu worth P 48,000.00 to a PDEA operative who acted as a poseur-buyer. When the PDEA operatives were about to arrest the suspects upon consummation of the agreed transaction, the unidentified cohort who was manning the getaway vehicle of the suspects fired at the arresting officers that led to the escape of Pumbaya.
Azurin added the suspects yielded another sachet containing shabu upon being frisked following their arrest.
He narrated it was the PDEA agents were securing the arrested Distor and Barodi that Loyola emerged and introduced himself as a member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and intervened for Distor. Upon request for proper identification, Loyola was not able to produce any proof that he was from the PNP, hence he was frisked that led to the discovery of two vials of liquid methamphetamine having a total weight of 4.25 ml. and a sachet of shabu in his possession.
Seized from the Distor and Barodi were the dangerous drugs having a total weight of 63.8969 grams with street value of more or less P 300,000.00 and the buy-bust money. Distor also yielded a cal. 22 pistol with three live ammunition.
Aside from the prohibited drugs, Loyola also yielded a cal. 9mm pistol; three 9mm magazines, each loaded with seven live ammunition; several identification cards; and a Kawasaki Bajaj Rouser motorcycle without any plate number.
The arrested individuals were subsequently detained at the PDEA-CAR detention facility pending the filing of cases for violation of Republic Act No. 9165 otherwise known as the “Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002” and R.A. 10591 for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition against them before the city prosecutor’s office.
Azurin encouraged the public to report any illegal drug activity to PDEA or the nearest police station since  PDEA-CAR will continue its no-nonsense campaign against illegal drugs.  This was manifested by the second arrest of local drug group members operating in the region in less than a week.