Crime group member nabbed in Makati
A 44-YEAR-old suspected member of a crime group involved in gun-for-hire, gunrunning and illegal drug trafficking activities in the southern part of Metro Manila was arrested by agents of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) in an entrapment operation this week, officials said on Saturday.
Suspect Ariel Ventura, a resident of No. 4050 Bernardino Street in Bgy. Guadalupe, Makati City, yielded a caliber .38 revolver with seven live ammunition, an improvised cal. .22 pistol with a magazine containing seven bullets, four heat-sealed plastic sachets containing two grams of shabu worth P8,000 and the P10,000 worth of boodle money topped by a marked P1,000 bill when he was arrested at around 7:45 p.m. Monday, said PNP-CIDG National Capital Region chief, Colonel Randy Glenn F. Silvio.
In a report to PNP-CIDG director, Major General Albert Ignatius D. Ferro, the official said that members of the CIDG Southern Metro Manila District Field Unit, backed up by operatives from the Makati City Police Station and the Southern Police District, conducted the sting.
“The suspect was arrested shortly after he received the marked money from the poseur in exchange for the gun he was selling,” said Silvio.
The official said that when frisked, the suspect yielded the drugs.
Silvio said that the suspect has been under their radar for months for his involvement with the Badilla Criminal Group based in Makati City and is involved in gunrunning, illegal drug trafficking and gun-for-hire activities in the southern part of the metropolis.
He added that the suspect is also a known collector of “jumper bills” or money being paid by residents of the sprawling Laperal Compound known for their illegal Meralco connections.
The suspect is now facing charges for violation of Republic Act (RA) 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013 and RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Silvio said that a record check showed that Ventura was also the subject of several RA 9165 cases in Makati City.
