Ex-Cebu mayor held for drugs

MANILA, Philippines -  A former mayor in Cebu was arrested yesterday as the government continued its campaign against illegal drugs.

Ricardo Ramirez, alias Ricky, former mayor and now councilor of Medellin town, was collared after a raid on his house in Sitio Lucha, Barangay Caputatan yielded drug paraphernalia, unlicensed firearms and ammunition, said Senior Superintendent Eric Noble, Cebu police director.

Noble said Ramirez is a “high-value” target, who was ranked second on the drug watchlist in the province.

The raid was based on a warrant issued by Talisay Regional Trial Court Branch 66 Judge Jacinto Fajardo Jr.

“Alam ng mga tao na siya ay drug personality…drug paraphernalia lang ang nakuha namin, walang drugs (People know that he is a drug personality…We only recovered drug paraphernalia, no illegal drugs),” Noble said.?

He said the raiding team also recovered various firearms, including rifles, air guns and caliber .45 pistols.

Noble said Ramirez had been under surveillance even though he was not on President Duterte’s narco list.

68 nabbed in drug stings

Meanwhile, a soldier and a public school teacher were among 68 suspected drug personalities arrested in police operations in the past two days.

Pvt. Harold Mangulad, 27, of the 5th Army Division and five others were nabbed in Tuao, Ballesteros, Abulug and Amulung in Cagayan.

in Surigao City, 13 grams of shabu with an estimated street value of P153,400 and a caliber .25 revolver were recovered from Necasio Rapisora, 37, a public school teacher and three others in Barangays Taft and Washington in Surigao City, police said.

Fifteen others were collared in Bulacan, nine each in Batangas and Pampanga, six in Cavite, five in Quezon, four each in Pangasinan, Rizal and Iloilo, three in Laguna and one in Cagayan.

4 killed in shootings

In a related development, a drug surrenderee and three others were killed in gun attacks on Tuesday.

Laborer Christopher Soriano was on his way home after buying barbecue at a convenience store in Barangay Dalena, San Pablo, Isabela when an unidentified man shot him in the head. The assailant fled on a motorcycle.

Police said the fatality yielded under Oplan Tokhang last year.

Allen Reyes, 48, whose head was wrapped in packing tape, and jeepney driver Ronaldo Juan Valbuena were found dead in Barangay Tactac, Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya and Lewin, Lumban, Laguna, respectively.

Police have yet to determine if the killings were drug-related.

Crisencio Lagua, 49, former barangay councilman of Cauplasan, Sta. Maria, Pangasinan, was arrested after he allegedly shot dead Greggie Molina, a resident of Barangay Bakit-Bakit in Rosales town, following an altercation at a quarry site in Barangay Cauplasan.

Workers Bert Cabanilla, Lenny Calupis and Lenel Joaquin were wounded in the shooting. – With Ed Amoroso, Raymund Catindig, Eva Visperas, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Ben Serrano, Emmanuel Tupas, Ric Sapnu