A policeman in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental, is in hot water, after an anti-drugs buy-bust operation at his residence Wednesday yielded a cache of high powered firearms and ammunition.

Task Force Kasaligan members swooped down on the residence of PO2 Victorio Moreno Rizaldo at Pink House Subdivision in Barangay Suba, Bayawan City, after a buy-bust operation, where two sachets of shabu and  P20,000 in marked money were confiscated.

At Rizaldo’s house were Florante Bayabado Taburada, alias “Tatang”, and Bayawan City Police auxiliary Renwil Cadungog, who were holding high-powered firearms when Task Force Kasaligan members headed by National Bureau of Investigation Senior Agent 3 Miguel Dungog conducted the operation.

A task force member said they were not expecting the group to have had high powered firearms while the seven task force members only had short firearms.

Recovered from the policeman’s residence were an Armalite rifle, an AK 2000 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun,  a KG-9 automatic pistol,  .45 caliber  pistol, two .22 caliber  rifles, two hand grenades,  and more than 200 assorted ammunition and magazines.

Reports reaching Task Force Kasaligan showed that Rizaldo, a member of the  Bayawan City police, is involved in drug trafficking, and  unconfirmed reports showed that  his colleagues are aware of his activities, but would not dare to make an arrest.

In fact, not a single police officer from Bayawan  City was present during the inventory after the anti-drug operation that night.

PNP provincial director, Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, had earlier instructed  the joint task force to confirm   the alleged involvement of Rizaldo in the illegal drugs activity, as part of the cleansing process to rid the ranks of the police of misfits and scalawags.

Lawas said: “Let this be a warning to all, not only to the police, but other members of the community who are doing illegal activities.”   Charges are now being  readied against the suspects who are being subjected to drug tests.*JG

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