2 hired guns out to kill drug peddlers nabbed in Manila
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2019 09:17:51 +0000
TWO self-confessed hired guns allegedly on a mission to kill drug peddlers were arrested in Sampaloc, Manila, Monday afternoon, police reported on Tuesday.
Members of Sampaloc Police Station seized a gun and a grenade from the suspects identified as Apolonio Flores, 37, of Sampaloc; and Prince Patrick Cortez, 32, businessman, of Balut, Tondo.
Police said Flores was nabbed in a motorcycle repair shop in Sampaloc at around 2:45 p.m. on Feb. 25 following a call from a concerned citizen who saw a .45-caliber pistol in his sling bag when he pulled his cellphone from it.
During interrogation at the police station, Flores admitted that he is being hired to kill drug peddlers who failed to remit their earnings.
As a matter of fact, he said that he was en route to shoot someone in the area but he was accosted.
He then showed his text conversation with Cortez, who stood as his handler, prompting the police to conduct a follow-up operation against the latter on the same day.
Cortez was collared in his residence at 4:30 p.m. where an MK-2 fragmentation hand grenade and a Mitsubishi Mirage were recovered from him.
Although he owned up to the illegal activity, Cortez said that there is a bigger person behind him.
Further investigation is underway to verify the claims of the suspects and pin down the mastermind, according to Sampaloc Police Station spokesman Senior Inspector Philipp Ines.
“We will check the firearm if it matches the previous murder cases involving drug personalities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Raxabago Police Station will also check if the two are connected to the group that left a rifle grenade and MK-2 fragmentation hand grenade under a bridge in Tondo early this month.
“We are still checking on it. [We] will give you feedback,” said Police Supt. Reynaldo Magdaluyo, station commander, in a text message.
Both Flores and Cortez are now detained, facing cases of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition in relation to Omnibus Election Code and unlawful ownership of explosive, respectively. (Ria Fernandez)