THREE alleged gunrunners, including a media practitioner, were arrested in Makati City on Monday night.
The Southern Police District (SPD) said in a report that the three were apprehended at around 9 p.m. on May 26 by operatives of the District Special Operations Unit in a buy-bust operation in front of an apartelle on Kalayaan Ave., Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City.
Arrested were alias Patrick, 26, single, and unemployed; alias Gaynor, 52, married, and a media practitioner; and alias Rodrigo, 52, married, and employed in building maintenance.
The SPD said the operation stemmed from information a confidential agent provided regarding the alleged illegal activities of Patrick.
“Acting on this information, an entrapment operation was executed by DSOU-SPD as the lead unit, with support from the District Intelligence Division, Intelligence Section, District Mobile Force Battalion, and Makati City Police Station,” the SPD said.
Confiscated from Patrick were three caliber 5.56 rifles (Bushmaster and Remington), three 5.56 magazines, three black rifle bags, boodle money amounting to P479,000 with a P1,000 bill used as marked money, one Android cellphone, four firearm registration cards, a key, a green paper bag, a brown carton box, and a white Suzuki Ciaz sedan with plate number WBA 3394 and supporting documents.
Recovered from Gaynor were a Glock 21 Gen 4 caliber .45 pistol, four magazines, 16 live ammunition, IDs including LTOPF, firearm registration, permit to carry, and press credentials, three Android phones, a green Honda CR-V with plate number XFE-721, and a black side holster.
Meanwhile, seized from alias Rodrigo were one extended caliber .45 magazine, two Taurus 9mm magazines, 13 live ammunition of caliber .45, an ammunition case, a black sling bag, an LTOPF ID, and one Huawei cellphone.
The suspects and the confiscated items were brought to the SPD headquarters in Fort Bonifacio for documentation and filing of appropriate complaints for violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, in relation to Republic Act 7166 and Comelec Resolution 11067 (gun ban).
The SPD has yet to provide additional details on the media man arrested in the operation.
But SPD acting director Brig. Gen. Joseph Arguelles commended his men for the successful operation.
“The arrest of these individuals demonstrates our sustained commitment to stopping the proliferation of illegal firearms in our communities. These unlicensed weapons are more than just contraband, they are tools of violence that empower criminal elements, endanger innocent lives, and undermine public safety,” Arguelles said in a brief statement.
