Personnel of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) arrested a police patrolman and a security agency manager on Monday for the illegal sale of firearms following a buy-bust operation.
Maj. Hazel Tuazon, DCPO spokesperson, identified the suspects as a certain Louie, of the Vanguard Security Agency, and a certain Muhammad, of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 14 under Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR).
Both are residents of the Toril district here.
Tuazon said the suspects agreed to sell several firearms to an undercover police operative, and they agreed to consummate the transaction along Roxas Avenue, in front of the Ateneo de Davao University.
The entrapment operation was executed at 4:50 a.m. on Monday, leading Police Senior Master Sergeant Benjamin Mantilla Jr., who acted as the poseur-buyer, to confiscate two caliber 5.56 M4 rifles, a Colt Defense and a Bushmaster; and two caliber .45 pistols, a Colt and a Limcat. These were the objects of the supposed sale transaction.
Also seized were a 9mm-caliber Pietro Beretta pistol which is owned by the Philippine National Police; two caliber .45 magazines with six bullets; two 9mm-caliber magazines with four bullets; eight caliber 5.56 magazines of which three had 30-round ammunition, and five with 20-round ammunition; the vehicle used by the suspects; a Kevlar helmet; a mobile phone; a pistol belt; bandolier; and belt bag.
Recovered were a real P1,000 bill used as marked money for evidence gathering, and three rolls of boodle money.
The suspects, the seized firearms, along with other pieces of evidence, are now under the custody of the Sta. Ana police station.
The operation was conducted with the cooperation of various city and regional police units, fed by information from barangay-based informants and city and regional intelligence groups.
Three days earlier, another police officer was arrested in an entrapment operation in Barangay Sasa by personnel of the Bunawan police station in coordination with the City Intelligence Unit and the 1st City Mobile Force Company (CMFC1).
The arrested police officer was accused of involvement in illegal drugs and extortion. During the operation, the suspect was caught in possession of a sachet of suspected meth weighing 4.80 grams and marked money amounting to ?30,000.00 received from the complainant