CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY —- Five suspects in selling of fake gold bars and counterfeit bank notes were arrested by the operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Northern Mindanao (Region 10) in two separate entrapment operations in Misamis Oriental province.
The first joint entrapment operation took place on September 1 (Thursday) in Tuboran 1-A, Barangay Poblacion 1 in Villanueva town where the CIDG Misamis Oriental-Camiguin Provincial Field Unit (PFU), together with Villanueva police and Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Payments and Currency Investigation Group arrested four suspects.
The authorities identified the arrested individuals as Eglesirio Quijano and Pablo Rayon, both from Malitbog town in Bukidnon; Aurelio Adanza of Surigao City and Alfredo Allego of Claveria, Misamis Oriental.
A total of six different weights and sizes of fake gold bars and 50 pieces of counterfeit P1000 bills and 40 pieces of counterfeit P500 bills were confiscated from the suspects.
The composite team made a follow up investigation after the operation on September 1, which resulted in the conduct of the second entrapment at one of the Inns in Barangay Taboc, Opol town in Misamis Oriental province on Sunday, September 4.
A certain Aguileo Cabeltes from Barangay Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City was arrested during that operation after the police poseur buyer positively purchased counterfeit money.
The authorities confiscated 230 pieces of counterfeit P1000 bills and 40 pieces of counterfeit P500 bills from Cabeltes.
According to CIDG Misamis Oriental, the arrested individuals are alleged members of the Doc Crime Group led by the arrested person Eglesirio Quijano.
The said group is engaged in the manufacturing, trading and distribution of counterfeit money and fake gold bars in the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon and the city of Cagayan de Oro.
Cases for the crime of Estafa and Article 168 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Article 166 or the “Law punishing Illegal possession and use of false treasury or bank notes and other instruments of credit” are being prepared against the arrested individuals.
Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee, CIDG Northern Mindanao director, assured the public that all individuals involved in the said activities shall be held accountable.
The suspects are temporarily detained at the custodial facility of CIDG Misamis Oriental-Camiguin PFU in El Salvador City in Misamis Oriental.