Two members of a drug syndicate were killed on Sunday night in Muntinlupa City during an anti-illegal drugs operations by a joint team of policemen and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) where some P68 million worth of shabu was seized.
The suspects were identified as Jordan Sabandal Abrigo and Jayvee de Guzman, who died during the operation in Katarungan Village 1, Muntinlupa City after they reportedly engaged authorities in a shootout.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Guillermo Eleazar, citing a report from PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG), said Sabandal and de Guzman are members of the Divinagracia Drug Group reportedly being led by Michael Divinagracia and a certain Jhonson, a Chinese national currently serving sentence at New Bilibid Prison.
Eleazar said the Divinagracia group is known as a drug distributor in different areas of Metro Manila and Region 6 and in nearby provinces.
Sabandal and de Guzman died after they reportedly shot it out with members of the joint team of the PNP and PDEA during the buy-bust operation wherein a total of 10 kilos of shabu were seized.
Recovered during the operation were three plastic packs of Chinese teabags containing more or less 10 kilos of shabu with standard drug price of P68 million, a black Nissan Cefiro without plate number, two pieces of dusted P1, 000 bills topped on a boodle money amounting to P1.5- million bust money and two loaded .45 caliber pistols.
Eleazar said that the Divinagracia drug syndicate also operates in different areas of the Visayas and Mindanao using cargo trucks traveling via Roro from Batangas Port and received by their Moro cohorts in the area.
“I commend the joint effort of PNP-PDEA operatives for another laudable accomplishments as we continue to invigorate our anti-illegal drugs campaign to totally wipe out all forms of illegal drugs in order to realize our quest for a drug-free nation,” Eleazar said.