STA. MARIA, Pangasinan — A barangay chieftain and his neighbor are now facing cases for illegal possession of high-powered firearms following a raid by policemen on their residences in Sta. Maria town on Wednesday.
The two suspects face violation of Republic Act No. 10591 or illegal possession of firearms when they were arrested by combined elements of the police led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
Suspects Conrado Macaraeg, barangay chairperson of Namagbagan, 57; and his neighbor Merlino Balanay, 55, farmer, were arrested by a team led by Police Chief Inspector Crispin Banez when policemen implemented two search warrants issued by the court.
Seized from the house of Macaraeg were one M-16 rifle with defaced serial number with one magazine containing 10 live ammunition.
On the other hand, seized from the house of Balanay was one AK 47 rifle with one magazine containing 14 live ammunition.
The police was informed that the confiscated firearm, magazine and ammunition from the house of Balanay are also owned by Macaraeg.
After their arrest, the suspects and the seized items were brought to the CIDG satellite office in Urdaneta City for investigation. PNA – northboundasia.com