2 more drug suspects dead under PDEG’s ‘Coplan Chain Knuckle’
TWO more drug suspects, one of them a former member of the Philippine Army, were killed, this time in Gapan City, Nueva Ecija, as the Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) intensifies its campaign targeting ‘high-value’ (HVTs) drug personalities under its ‘Coplan Chain Knuckle.’
PDEG director P/BGen. Remus Medina, in a report to Chief PNP Guillermo T. Eleazar, identified the slain suspects as Dennis Gaspar Kue and, Percival Pestaño, aka, ‘Baldo,’ both of legal age. Pestaño was also identified as an ‘AWOL’ (absent without leave) member of the Philippine Army.
Medina said last May 14, 2021, his men under Special Operations Unit (SOU-National Capital Region) managed to arrange a drug transaction with the suspects involving 2 kilos of shabu worth P14 million with the deal to be consummated at the house of a certain ‘Ceni Pangilinan’ located at Purok 1, Bgy. Sto. Cristo Sur, Gapan City.
However, the deal went wrong resulting to the armed encounter with the suspects who were armed with .45 caliber and 9mm pistols.
Medina further informed Eleazar that prior to the operation, proper coordination with other PNP units and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was made to ensure its success.
One of the two drug suspects lies dead after an encounter with police and anti-narcotics operatives at a house in Gapan City, Nueva Ecija. PDEG director, P/BGen. Remus Medina said they recovered 2 kilos of shabu worth P14 million from the suspects, May 14, 2021 (photo credit: P/BGen. Remus Medina).
Aside from the illegal drugs and the firearms, authorities also seized a Nissan Cefiro (WGK-992) used by the suspects and an assortment of identification cards (IDs).
Hot on the trail of HVTs
For over two months now, the PDEG is hot on the trail of HVTs under its ‘Coplan Chain Knuckle’ anti-illegal drugs project.
The project has thus far resulted to the arrest of syndicate member, Michael Abdul Lucas, last April 26, 2021, at a house inside the Town and Country Homes Subdivision in Dasmariñas City, Cavite and the recovery of P10 kilos of shabu worth P68 million.
The next day, Medin and his men, along with other anti-drug operatives, encountered two of Lucas’ “suppliers” in Taytay, Rizal, that resulted to the suspects’ death and the recovery of 15 kilos of shabu worth P102 million.
Last May 9, 2021, in another follow-up operation, still two more HVTs under Coplan Chain Knuckle, were killed by the PDEG and the PDEA operatives after an encounter in Pasig City and the recovery of 22 kilos of shabu worth P149.6 million.
At the operation in Gapan City, Medina said the slain suspects were also linked to the group, particularly to Arthur Abdul, one of the suspects killed in Pasig City.
“As backgrounder, the suspects are well known illegal drugs distributors and cohorts of aka, ‘Bating’ and aka, ‘Joel’ who are known bodegero (warehousemen) of aka, ‘Intsik,’ a Chinese national,” Medina informed Eleazar.
“They are also connected to Arthur Abdul who was neutralized in Pasig City last May 09, 2021,” he added.
As in their previous accomplishments under Coplan Chain Knuckle, Medina tagged Pestaño and Kue as responsible for the distribution of illegal drugs in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Central Luzon and other provinces in the country.
The latest encounter also increased the volume of recovered drugs by the government at 49 kilos with the aggregate value placed at P334 million.
Significantly, the drugs being distributed by the suspects are all wrapped in Chinese tea packs, the “signature” of the Sam Gor (The Company) Drug Syndicate, identified as Asia’s biggest drug syndicate and the world’s top producer of ‘crystal meth’ commonly known as “shabu.”
