CEBU CITY – Police expressed alarm that minors were used by a suspected drug group in its illegal activities in Balamban town, western Cebu.
Lawmen discovered this after they arrested four persons following a shootout on Saturday night, August 19.
Police Lt. Col. Glenn Hife, chief of the Balamban police, said a poseur-buyer transacted with couple Richard Moscoso and Arianne Blaire Navales but the two suspects sensed that they were transacting with a law enforcer.
Hife said the couple quickly boarded a vehicle and tried to escape.
Police gave chase but the persons inside the vehicle opened fire that triggered a shootout.
Lawmen eventually cornered the suspects and discovered that two 15-year-old girls were inside the vehicle.
One of the girls was unscathed while her companions were wounded during the shootout, Hife said.
The girl was turned over to social workers in Balamban while her companions were brought to a hospital.
“This is an alarming incident. Why they had to use the minors in their illegal activities. These kids should be spared from their illegal acts,” said Hife.
Hife said that Moscoso is considered a high-value individual.
He said their monitoring showed that Moscoso’s group was operating in neighboring cities and towns.