Cebu’s top drug lord shot dead

MANILA, Philippines - A top drug trafficker in Central Visayas and his cohort were gunned down in Las Piñas City on Friday night in an encounter with police officers from Central Visayas and Las Piñas.

According to the Sothern Police District (SPD), the police officers were about to serve an arrest warrant for a certain Alvaro Alvaro, a top drug personality in Cebu when they instead encountered suspects Jeffrey Otom Diaz, 40, alias Jaguar, and his cohort, Paul Vincent Gloria, 26, a resident of Uranium St. Las Piñas City.

The SPD said the encounter happened at about 10:40 p.m. at Gem Road, corner Narra Road of the Pilar Village in Barangay Almanza.

Police said Alvaro, who eluded arrest, was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by 7th Judicial Region, Danao City Regional Trial Court Branch 25 Judge Jerry Dicdican. 

Police said Gloria and Diaz were aboard a beige Toyota Fortuner (YKZ-202) when they were flagged down by the policemen. Police said the suspects instead opened fire, triggering the shootout.

Seized from Diaz and Gloria were a Bushmaster M16 rifle with scope and two loaded magazines and a Colt .45 caliber pistol with two loaded magazines.

Also seized from the dead suspects were various identification cards bearing different names and one and a half kilo of shabu with a street value of P1.2 million and P10,000 cash.

Police said the bodies of Diaz and Gloria were taken to the Peoples Funeral Parlor while the shabu were brought to the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory for examination.