Drugs motive in slay of 3 men in Dagupan

By Jennelyn Mondejar

DAGUPAN CITY -- Three men shot dead night of June 21 by still unidentified gunmen are believed to be engaged in the illegal drugs trade in this city, a police official said.

Senior Inspr Ryan Manongdo, spokesman of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office, said the drug angle cropped up since the area where the cadavers were seen was in Sitio Silungan, Barangay Bonuan Binloc which is allegedly a notorious lair of drug peddlers.

He identified the fatalities as Napoleon dela Cruz Paraan, 45; Reynaldo Espinoza Martinez, 47; and Mamerto Torres Penuliar,Jr., 49.

“They were shot to death while inside a tricycle along the road leading to SitioSilungan,” said Manongdo.

Witnesses told the investigators that they heard several gunshots that Friday night.

When they went out to check, they discovered the victims inside a tricycle.

“Maybe the suspects learned that they will go to Sitio Silungan and probably they waited there and shot them to death,” said Manongdo.

Manongdo said they have yet to conduct a background check on the three victims, but he said the illegal drugs angle was further bolstered by the recovery of a sachet of suspected shabu.

Part of the probe, he said, is to determine if the slain suspects were either drug peddlers or merely consumers.

But he said they have already confirmed that the victims are residents of the nearby Sta. Barbara town.