PNP confirms gun seized in anti-drug operation belongs to SAF 44

KORONADAL CITY -- Police authorities in Region 12 today said physical and macro-etching examination conducted on a rifle recovered from the son of a police officer in Pikit, North Cotabato belonged to one of the fallen Special Action Force following clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last year. The firearm, according to Supt. Romeo Gaglgo Jr, information chief of Police Regional Office No. 12, said the firearm was described as Ferfrans cal. 5.56mm rifle with defaced serial numbers. Its new serial number was FF 090465. Galgo said based on the inventory of lost firearms with accessories submitted to PNP National Headquarters in relation to Mamasapano incident, the rifle was issued to PO2 Ephraim Mejia, one of the casualties in the Mamasapano incident that left 44 police special unit members killed. The SAF operation (Oplan Wolverine) was successfully accomplished with the death of the country's most wanted Indonesian terrorist - Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan. Two weeks ago, the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group led by Supt. Maximo Sebastian Jr conducted joint operation in Pikit, North Cotabato with the Philippine Army and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA 12) that led to the arrest of Nasser Karim, son of Senior Insp. Sindatu Karim, Pikit deputy police chief. The operation resulted in the recovery of assorted high powered guns and ammunition, including rifle grenades from Karim, including the rifle that belonged to the fallen SAF 44. This proves that some of the firearms of SAF 44 are still in the hands of private individuals, thus, deeper investigation is being conducted as to how said firearm falls into the hand of said suspect, Galgo said. We are hoping that through this breakthrough some of the questions behind the Mamasapano incident will be answered, he added.