A suspected drug lord and four companions were killed in a shootout against the Regional Special Operation Group (RSOG-7) and other police operatives in the town of Inabanga yesterday, June 5, 2016.

Police identified those killed in the gun battle as David Anunciado, an alleged drug lord, and members of his group Medes Enoc, Alipio Anuta, Milkins Ohina, and Pio Justol. While three others, namely Rene Petecio, Daria Nunes, and Justino Vistal, all residents of Barangay Cawayan, Inabanga were arrested by the authorities.

The police team led by Superintendent Gorge Ylanan of RSOG and Inabanga police chief Senior Inspector Rolando Antipolo was about to raid the residence of Anunciado but the suspects ambushed the operatives instead.

The police was supposedly to serve a search warrant issued by Presiding Judge Suceso Arcamo of the Regional Trial Court Branch 47 at Anunciado’s residence, but even as the raiding team was still approaching the house, they were relentlessly fired upon by the suspects.

The firefight between the police and the suspected drug personalities then broke out which resulted to the death of the five men inside an alleged drug den.

Recovered from the crime scene were four .45 caliber pistols with full magazines, one KG9 machine pistol with two full magazines, one .22 caliber rifle, one 5.56 M16 Armalite with three magazines, and two hand grenades.

The police also found more than 50 packets of shabu with an estamitaed street value of P3 million and drug sorting paraphernalia.

Packets of shabu were also collected from the three apprehended suspects.

According to Ylanan, Anunciado’s group ran drug operations both in Cebu and Bohol. (with reports from Willy Maestrado)