LAOAG CITY, May 30 — Four Chinese nationals are now jailed and facing multiple charges after they were caught with high-powered firearms and explosives at a checkpoint on Tuesday night in Barangay Davila in Pasuquin town, 18 kilometers from here.
Ilocos Provincial Police spokesman Superintendent Jeffrey Gorospe said that cases of violation of RA 9156, law on illegal explosives, RA 8294, law on illegal firearms and violation of the gun ban law have been filed before the Provincial Prosecutors’ Office against Dang Hoi, Lui Xin, Lei Guang Feng and Dennis Co, who are now detained at the Ilocos Norte Provincial Jail.
“The suspects could not show any document when they were caught,” Gorospe said.
He said that the suspects, speaking through an interpreter, claimed that they were merely tourists and that the firearms found inside their vehicle were planted.
“They claimed that they knew nothing of the firearms and explosives because their vehicle was merely rented,” Gorospe said.
The suspects were caught at a checkpoint after residents alerted the police that they previously caused a commotion in a gasoline station where they broke bottles before leaving that town.
The police recovered inside their vehicles eight hand grenades, machine guns, caliber .45 and 9mm pistols, bullets, and improvised explosive device.
The arrest of the Chinese nationals came on the heels of a search operation that authorities conducted in a beach resort in Currimao town yesterday.
The police said that a search operation was conducted inside a rented room of the Nipa Beach Resort by alleged Taiwanese nationals for supposed cybercrime activity.
The police, however, failed to catch any suspects but found several laptop computers and mobile phones.
Last week, at least 52 Taiwanese and Chinese nationals were brought to the Bureau of Immigration here from a resort in Vigan City on suspicion that they were involved in cybercrime activities. (Cristina Arzadon)#
