Farmer shot dead; assailant at large

A 40-year-old farmer was gunned down in Paoay, Ilocos Norte on Wednesday night after an unidentified assailant opened fire while he was riding his motorcycle near a gasoline station in Barangay 2 San Roque.

Police identified the victim as Gilbert Gallardo Dumaoal, a resident of Barangay 5 Nalasin. According to initial reports from the Paoay Municipal Police Station, Dumaoal was heading south along Suba–Balacad Road on his Yamaha Mio when he reached the intersection leading to Sitio Banitog and was suddenly attacked. The gunman fired several shots before fleeing in an unknown direction.

Emergency responders rushed Dumaoal to the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Batac City, but he was declared dead on arrival after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

Authorities have launched a dragnet and hot pursuit operation, coordinating with nearby police units to identify and locate the suspect. A Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) team was also dispatched to process the area.

Police said the motive behind the killing remains unclear as the investigation continues.

Laoag cops nab 2 drug suspects

Meanwhile, Laoag City police scored two anti-illegal drug wins in a single day on Tuesday, arresting two suspects in separate buy-bust operations and seizing a combined 8.1 grams of suspected shabu.

The first arrest came at around 8:20 a.m. in Barangay 10, San Jose, led by the Provincial Police Drug Enforcement Unit. Officers nabbed 32-year-old Niño Christopher Santos y Butay, alias “Topi,” a painter and barangay resident, after he allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu to an undercover agent. Police said Santos tried to flee to his house after sensing he was dealing with operatives, but he was quickly caught.

Recovered from him were several sachets of suspected shabu weighing about a gram in total, a broken glass fragment with residue, a coin purse, an open sachet, personal cash, and the marked P1,000 buy-bust money. All items were inventoried and documented at the scene.

Hours later, at around 2:14 p.m., the Laoag City Police Station carried out another buy-bust operation in Barangay 13, resulting in the arrest of 44-year-old Robbie Alwin Gajete Allado, a retailer from Barangay 14. Authorities said Allado sold a sachet containing about 1.1 grams of suspected shabu to a poseur-buyer. A follow-up search yielded another sachet weighing around six grams, bringing the total haul to roughly 7.1 grams.

Police also seized Allado’s sling bag, marked P1,000 buy-bust money, additional cash, personal items, a cellphone with P5,000, his Yamaha NMAX motorcycle, helmets, and a white-and-violet vibrator found among his belongings.

Both suspects were subjected to proper documentation and medical examinations. Police said charges for violations of Republic Act 9165 are being readied — Sections 5 and 11 against Allado, and Sections 5, 11, and 12 against Santos.