FORTY-FIVE most wanted men in Cordillera region were hauled to jail by the local police in a series of anti-criminality operations this week, Cordillera Police Regional Office director, Brigadier General Ronald O. Lee said.

Lee told Philippine National Police chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar that 33 of the suspects were arrested in a series of manhunt operations. Eleven of the wanted felons were arrested in Baguio City; 10 in Abra; three each in Benguet, Ifugao and Kalinga provinces; two in Mountain Province; and one in Apayao province.

The official said that of the 33, seven were identified as most wanted persons in various levels: two in the regional level, one in the provincial level, three in the municipal level and one in the station level.

Two of the suspects included in the regional level most wanted list were Danilo and Julius Bergonia, both wanted for murder and tagged as the 2nd and 3rd most wanted men in Cordillera region, respectively.

Another identified as Andres Nanglegan, a wanted rape suspect, was listed as a 5th most wanted in the provincial level.

Lee said that those wanted in the municipal level were Rodrigo Almazar (murder), Rollie Cayas (robbery) and Jay-ar Guillen, wanted for rape by sexual assault and violation of the anti-child abuse law.

The Cordillera police director said also arrested were eight “high-value drug targets” in Cordillera region.

The official said one of the suspects identified as Christian Karl Cardenas, 25, construction worker from Purok 2, Asin Road in Baguio City, was arrested in a buy-bust operation last Thursday.

The suspect who has been listed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as a “high-value individual” in the region yielded more than P10,000 worth of the so-called “poor man’s cocaine,” four improvised glass tooters and the buy-bust money paid to him by a poseur.

The 2nd identified as Jason Alejandro, 25, a resident of Upper Rock Quarry in Baguio City, turned out to be under probation for a drug case when he was arrested in a sting at the local Rizal Monument last Friday.

The suspect yielded about P2,000 worth of dried marijuana leaves which he sold to an undercover officer.

Lee said that a tip from an informant triggered the conduct of the sting which targeted the suspect who was previously arrested by members of the Baguio City Police Drug Enforcement Unit.

The other suspects identified as Marlouie Llarena, 32; Jefferson Garcia, 26; Hubert Pussan, 34; Rodler Nicer, 19; and Lloyd Ojano, 19, were arrested on Saturday.

Llarena was arrested after he sold two grams of shabu worth P13,600 to a poseur in Bgy. Ferdinand in Baguio City, while both Nicer and Ojano were placed under arrest after they conspired to sell some P12,000 worth of marijuana leaves to an undercover officer in Legarda area.

Also recovered from the suspects following their arrest were two plastic sachets containing nearly P2,000 worth of cannabis.

Pussan and Garcia were arrested in a sting in Mankayan, Benguet which led in the confiscation of three heat-sealed plastic sachets containing some P5,000 worth of shabu.

Lee said that all suspects are now facing non-bailable charges for sale and possession of prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.