ILOILO City – A gunrunning suspect was arrested in an entrapment on Saturday night in Barangay Bolilao, Mandurriao district.
The 21-year-old Chicklet Tabosares was a resident of Barangay Lanit, Jaro district. He became the 129th person in Western Visayas to face a charge for violation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban, on top of another charge for violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act (illegal possession of firearm).
“We conducted a surveillance to confirm that he was selling homemade firearms. We then planned an entrapment. It was a positive operation,” said Police Major Kenneth Jay Gratones, Mandurriao police chief.
An undercover police officer bought from the suspect a .39 revolver for P3,500.
In a related development, data from the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) showed Negros Occidental so far having the most number of persons arrested for violating the gun ban in Western Visayas.
A far second is Iloilo province with 21 arrests, and Aklan with 15 arrests.
A total of 74 firearms have so far been confiscated, plus 42 other deadly weapons (knives, etc.)
“We expect more violators to be arrested kay grabe na aton conduct sang checkpoints,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, PRO-6 spokesperson./PN
