Mandaue drug bust nets burger joint worker's 'killer'

CEBU, Philippines - A 26-year-old man who was arrested for alleged possession of illegal drugs in Mandaue City may have to suffer a longer sentence after police found out that he was the same person who shot to death a burger station's crew member last month.

Senior Superintendent Jonathan Cabal, Mandaue City Police Office chief, said suspect Romnick Dosdos, 26, was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Purok Mango, Barangay Umapad at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

Cabal said members of MCPO Station 5 who conducted the operation were able to recover from Dosdos two pieces of small heat-sealed plastic sachet containing what was believed to be shabu and two pieces of P100 bills used as buy-bust money.

At the station, the MCPO chief said police then made a cross-check of the suspect's profile as a standard operating procedure and discovered that his identify matched with that of the suspect for the Angel's Burger robbery heist on January 23, which killed worker Alvin Andales.

Andales was serving two customers in the burger's junction in Barangay Opao at that time when a motorcycle-riding man shot him in the stomach, resulting to his death.

The suspect then declared holdup to the Johanne Lapiten, 22, and her friend. The suspect ran away with Lapiten's bag and all its valuables.

Cabal said they immediately called up Lapiten and her friend, who reportedly "positively identified" Dosdos as the gunman.

Cabal said they also learned that Dosdos stands accused for attempted murder case, for which he was able to post bail in 2014.

He said Dosdos will be charged for Andales' murder, grave threats and robbery, all on top of the illegal drugs case he will be facing.

On the same day, MCPO Station 5 also arrested four other individuals allegedly involved in the illegal drugs in Barangay Paknaan. They were Christopher "Bulitoy" Diano, 30, of Zone Ube; Garry "Botyok" Rabutan, 32, of Sitio Repolyo; Jacob Manatad, 25, of Sitio Ube; and Ulyn Ceniza, 39, of Sitio Ube. They will be charged for alleged violation of the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002.  (FREEMAN)