A rice mill owner in Barangay San Jose, Mabini yielded a cache of firearms and ammunitions during a raid in his stock house and his residence Monday afternoon.
Items recovered from the stock house of the 35-year-old suspect, Rey Salaum, included an air gun converted to caliber .22 marked with “Ricardo M. Valienteâ€; an improvised shotgun locally known as sumpak; two caliber .40 live ammunitions; two caliber .38 empty shells; a 12-gauge shot gun ammunition; four caliber .22 live ammunitions (magnum); a caliber .22 live ammunition (ordinary); and 20 metal pellets for air gun rifle.
From his house, the raiding team recovered a caliber .22 rifle with scope and serial no. 57033;Â a caliber .357 revolver with unreadable serial number with five live ammunitions of caliber .38 marked as SW-ROS-3 to SW-ROS-7, and one live caliber .357 ammunition inside the cylinder; a metal silencer for caliber .45; eight caliber .22 live ammunitions; 17 caliber .22 empty shells; and two caliber .38 empty shells.
Elements of the Mabini Police Station, together with intelligence personnel of the 3rd Regional Public Safety Manuever Company of the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSMC-RPSB-7) based in Barangay Camba-ol in Alicia swooped down Salaum’s stock house and residence at around 3 p.m. on November 23 by virtue of search warrants issued by Judge Patsita Sarmiento-Gamutan, presiding judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 51 in Carmen, dated November 20, 2015.
The Mabini police team, led by the municipal chief of police, PInsp. Angelito Valleser, included SPO1 Dante Olandria, PO3 Julius Saavedra, PO3 Ruel Duites, PO3 Walter Escolano, PO2 Gilber Amora, PO2 Francis Lowell Palatan, PO1 Christopher Ando, PO1 Esteban Torregosa III, PO1 Raphy Jotojot, PO1 Edsel Saromines, PO1 Jesse Auditor, PO1 Fredie Escolano, and PO1 Joseph Bersano.
The RPSMC-RPSB-7 team comprised PO1 Mark Anthony Aranas, PO1 Marino Sosoban, and PO1 Isagani Vasquez.
The composite team conducted an operation against loose firearms in relation to the ongoing “Oplan Lambat-Sibat†against loose firearms.
A charge on violation of Republic Act 10591 or the “Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Actâ€for illegal possession of firearms and ammunitions.
The arresting officers informed Salaum of the nature of the offense violated and his constitutional rights.
He was brought to the police station, together with the items seized and confiscated during the implementation of the search warrants for proper disposition.
San Jose Barangay Captain Carlito Cuizona and Barangay Kagawad Wilfredo, and Salum himself, witnessed the inventory of recovered items done in the stock house and the latter’s residence.