By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – A woman died while her live-in partner was wounded after they figured in an alleged shootout with police during a buy-bust on Malaspina Street, Barangay Villamonte here Monday.
The incident resulted in the seizure of P2,584,000 worth of suspected shabu.
Police identified the fatality as Hilda Trujillo. Wounded was her live-in partner Xiever Louis Rosales, 48 of the said village.
Both suspects, who were residents of Barangay Bata here, were identified as high value targets of the police.
Based on a report of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU)-6, Trujillo and Rosales allegedly sold four sachets of suspected shabu to a police agent for P44,000.
But while the transaction was ongoing, the suspects sensed that they were transacting with a police agent, prompting Rosales to reportedly open fire at the authorities then escaped on board a pick-up truck.
Police operatives retaliated that resulted in a 10-minute shootout. The suspects later figured in an accident as they crashed into a truck parked in the area.
Both suspects were rushed to a hospital, where Trujillo was declared dead on arrival.
Police recovered 52 sachets of suspected shabu weighing 380 grams, a .45 caliber pistol, and the P44,000 marked money.
An operative of the RDEU said they conducted the operation against Rosales based on the information from massacre suspect Christian Don Tulot who pointed to a certain “Bro” as his alleged source of illegal drugs.
Tulot was the primary suspect in the killing of his four relatives at Gardenville Subdivision, Barangay Tangub here early this month. The killing happened when Tulot and one of the victims, who was also allegedly into the illegal drug trade, had a misunderstanding.
The RDEU operative said that a certain “Bro” and Rosales, with an alias “Boss,” may be connected or might be the same person that Tulot was referring to.
The RDEU said that the couple can be considered as an alleged new distributor of illegal drugs here, adding that they have alleged links with a drug group operating in Negros Occidental.
Meanwhile, two street level individuals were also arrested in a drug bust at Barangay 13 here yesterday.
The suspects were identified by police as Anthony Villacrusis, 24; and Gemma Mellogo, 33.
Police confiscated from them 29 sachets of suspected shabu weighing 20 grams worth P136,000; and the P500 marked money, according to a report of Police Regional Office (PRO)-6. Both suspects, who are in-laws, are detained at Police Station 1.
