8,000 rounds of ammo seized in Oro

From the Sun Star-Cagayan de Oro (Jun 29): 8,000 rounds of ammo seized in Oro

AUTHORITIES has seized some 8,000 rounds of high-powered ammunition at a garage of a cargo forwarding office in Barangay Camaman-an, Cagayan de Oro City.

Police said the ammunition, placed inside the eight boxes consisting 6,000 pieces of 5.56mm for M16 rifle and 2,000 others of 30 caliber, were confiscated last Friday, June 23.

Chief Inspector Ariel Philip Pontillas, head of the city intelligence unit (CIU) of Cocpo, said the items arrived in the city last April, a month before the Marawi siege.

Pontillas said based on the information from the intelligence community, the ammunition were supposed to be delivered to Marawi City.

  Pontillas said the items were not declared in the transaction details. "Naka declare sa details is mga electric wires. Itong mga bala wala na declare sa documents. Wala pud consignee kung kinsa magkuha," Pontillas said.

"During sa operation, naay nakita nga karton in plain view nga partly open unya ang atong K9 sniffing dog milingkod indicating nga naay presence sa nitrate," Pontillas added.

Pontillas declined to identify the forwarder but said the transactions and how it came to the company would still be investigated.

"Ang information nato nga naay mga bala nga dugay na nga naka-stock sa usa ka cargo forwarder sa CDO and sa information nga niabot sa ato it will be brought to Marawi City. We don't know aha gamiton," Pontillas said.

Pontillas said the officials of the cargo forwarder have been coordinating with the investigation whom the former said were also alarmed of the unclaimed items.

The CIU operatives have tried to locate the suspected person who would claim the ammunition but the latter was found to have surrendered to the Martial Law Special Action Group (MLSAG) on Monday, June 27.

"Nag conduct tayo ng hot pursuit and we are trying to locate the suspected person nga modawat pero it turned out nga na-identify na nato pero nag surrender na siya sa MLSAG," Pontillas said.

Pontillas withheld the identity of the person who claimed to be a taxi driver in the city and was supposed to be the 'middle man' ordered by a supposed 'Muslim' man to pick up the items.

"Basin nahadlok `tong person of interest busa nag-surrender kung baga blind daw siya kay gisugo ra daw siya didto unya ipa-pick up sa iya sa usa ka Muslim," Pontillas said.

"He is using fictitious name pero nakuha namo real name niya. Nag case build up tayo for possible filing of the case," Pontillas added.

Authorities are looking at the possible criminal liabilities and the charges to be filed against the supposed middle man including the cargo forwarder.

The seized ammunition are now in Cocpo’s custody. Pontillas also said they would also look whether the ammunition came from the Philippine Arsenal or elsewhere.

"We are still looking on that kay nakita nato armscor man," Pontillas said.

 http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2017/06/29/8000-rounds-ammo-seized-oro-550129