Two Singaporean men were among three suspects arrested in the Philippines for the illegal possession and sale of firearms, Philippine police said.
The two Singaporean men and another identified as a “protection agent” were caught in possession of 10 loose firearms and one replica firearm during a police sting operation in Valenzuela City in Metro Manila on Thursday, the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said yesterday.
The three men had been tracked for months after police validated information that they were selling firearms in the Philippine capital and nearby provinces amid a crackdown on private armed groups and gun possession.
The Philippines has from Jan 12 to June 11 enforced a ban on members of the public carrying firearms outside their residence or place of business to minimise election-related violence ahead of the nation heading to the polls on May 12.
Among the 10 firearms seized were four M-15 rifles, an MK-9 sub-machine gun, a MKGs 9mm rifle, and six pistols of varying calibres. A large number of gun magazines and live ammunition were also confiscated.
The CIDG said that with the confiscation of these loose firearms and apprehension of the possessors, the police have significantly accounted and suppressed the so-called “guns, goons and gold” of Philippine politics.
The arrested suspects have been charged with violating the Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. They each face a 40-year jail term if convicted. — The Straits Times/ANN
