2 suspects in judge’s slay, soldier fall in drug raid

MANILA, Philippines - Two men tagged in the killing of a judge in Cagayan in 2010, a soldier and a police trainee were among the 21 people arrested in a drug raid in Taguig City at dawn yesterday.

Police raiders headed by Senior Superintendent Ronald Lee, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) National Capital Region, recovered five firearms, three M203 grenades, three hand grenades, 100 grams of shabu worth P600,000 and drug paraphernalia during the raid in Barangay Pinagsama.

Among those arrested were Jose Cabeza and Noel Ismael, both suspects in the killing of Judge Andres Cipriano of the Cagayan Regional Trial Court (RTC); Eugene Arreglado, a police trainee of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO); and Pfc. Philip Abad of the Army’s 51st Brigade.

Lee said Cabeza was the leader of the Cabeza gun-for-hire group. Another member of the group, Wilson Polo, was nabbed in the operation.

Cabeza has pending arrest warrants for murder, frustrated murder and violation of Republic Act 10591 or illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, police said.

The raid was conducted after the CIDG received information that Cabeza’s group was maintaining a drug den in Barangay Pinagsama.

Armed with search warrants issued by Judge Lorifel Lacap Pahimna of the Taguig RTC Branch 69, members of the CIDG, Regional Public Safety Battalion of the NCRPO and the Highway Patrol Group swooped down on the suspects’ seven hideouts at past 2 a.m.

According to Lee, they were approaching the group’s seventh safehouse when somebody lobbed a hand grenade at them. The grenade did not explode.

A shootout ensued and one of the suspects, identified as Richard Santiago, was hit. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.

The suspects will be charged with illegal possession of firearms, explosives and drugs before the Taguig RTC.

They are being held at the CIDG headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City.