Alex Blanca Sr.
  • Sex: Male
  • Age: 52
Incident Details
  • Killed in police operation in public
  • Date of Incident: August 27, 2018
  • Time of Incident: 11:45 am
  • Location of Incident: Iloilo City, Iloilo
Source(s)

ANOTHER suspected drug pusher was killed following in an anti-narcotic police operation in Molo, Iloilo City morning of August 27, 2018.

Police identified the suspect as Alex Blanca Sr., 52, a resident of Barangay Boulevard, Molo, Iloilo City.

Members of the PNP Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU)-6 and Molo Police Station sent two assets and an undercover police agent to buy drugs from Blanca.

The buy-bust happened at around 11:45 a.m. Monday, a few steps from Blanca’s house.

Senior Inspector Kennith Bermejo, RDEU-6 team leader, said the poseur-buyers were able to buy from Blanca 1.5 grams of shabu worth P15,200.

However, Blanca quickly noticed that he was paid with “boodle” or fake money.

Bermejo said the suspect immediately ran inside his house.

Armed with a caliber .38 revolver and a hand grenade, Blanca went out and fired at the poseur-buyers. He pulled the trigger twice but the gun jammed.

RDEU-6 and Molo police operatives then fired and hit Blanca.

Blance sustained five gunshot wounds on his body, Bermejo said

Police tried to bring Blanca to the hospital but hesitated when they saw the grenade roll away from his hand.

Members of the PNP Explosives Ordinance Division checked the grenade and found out that the safety pin was still hooked to the explosive.

Nonetheless, Blanca was rushed to the hospital but was later declared dead on arrival.

Recovered from the suspect’s possession were 5 sachets of suspected shabu, a brown envelope containing P15,200 cash, a mobile phone, an M26 hand grenade, and a loaded caliber .38 revolver.

The police officers may have been injured or killed if Blanca threw the grenade at them, Bermejo said.

Intelligence reports indicated that Blanca was a street-level pusher who used to work for Johan “Moran” Mino.

The 45-year-old Mino is allegedly an underling of slain suspected drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr.

Members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-6 and the PNP Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) arrested Mino in a buy-bust operation in February 2017.

58TH FATALITY

Blanca is the 58th person killed during anti-narcotics police operations in Western Visayas since the government launched its aggressive campaign against illegal drugs.

Superintendent Joem Malong, Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 spokesperson, said Blanca is the ninth fatality since the government renewed its anti-drug campaign on December 5, 2017.

Antique province has the highest number of slain suspected drug personalities at 19.

Malong said the killing of Western Visayas’ top drug personality Melvin Odicta,Sr. and his wife Meriam Odicta on August 29, 2016 at Caticlan, Malay, Aklan was not part of the 58 recorded deaths as their cases are considered as homicides case under investigation (HCUI).