By Jennifer P. Rendon
Double whammy.
A 43-year-old man was arrested Friday in an entrapment operation at Barangay San Rafael, Mandurriao, Iloilo City.
Vicdam Dagatan, a resident of Barangay Calmay, Janiuay, Iloilo, allegedly sold a caliber .38 revolver to an undercover police.
Members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Iloilo Provincial Field Unit, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Intelligence Branch, the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 (RFMB-6), Iloilo Police Station, and Regional Intelligence Division 6 (RID-6) have joined forces together to conduct the entrapment operation against Dagatan.
After arresting him for selling the firearm, a police officer frisked Dagatan and recovered 10 sachets of suspected shabu.
Also seized from him was a caliber .38 revolver with five ammunition, boodle or fake money, and the P500 marked money.
The CIDG-Iloilo PFU could not be immediately reached for comment.
Lieutenant Colonel Gervacio Balmaceda Jr., Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 6 (CIDG-6) regional director, declined to divulge the actual amount involved in the sale of the gun claiming it’s an “intelligence- driven strategy.”
“‘Pag dinivulge natin ‘yan, magkakaroon na ngayon ng idea ang mga suspects na ‘yan,” he said.
When further asked on Dagatan’s possession of illegal drugs, Balmaceda said they could not also presume if he is into illegal drug peddling or the shabu taken from his possession was for personal use.
“Basta the operation was done for selling of firearm. Incidental to his arrest, may nakuhang shabu,” he said.
Dagatan is now in the custody of CIDG – Iloilo PFU pending the filing of charges against him for violation of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act) and RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).
More than two weeks prior to CIDG’s operation against Dagatan, the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) arrested three persons for alleged gunrunning.
The three were collared in two separate occasions in a span of three hours on April 21 at Jaro, Iloilo City.
