A lady lawyer was arrested for alleged illegal possession of firearms by a composite police team in a raid at his house in Solariega Plantacion, Barangay Talomo Proper, Talomo District last Friday afternoon.
Brig. Gen. Marcelo Morales, director of the Police Regional Office in Davao, yesterday said they are preparing charges against lawyer Sitti Gilda Mahinay Sapie for violating Republic Act 10591, the law on firearms and ammunition.
Morales said agents of the Regional Intelligence Division, Regional Mobile Force Battalion and Davao City Police Office’s Talomo Police Station served the search warrants in Sapie’s house around 2 p.m. on Friday.
Authorities secured search warrant after receiving information regarding unlicensed firearms in the lawyer’s house. Judge Oscar Noel Jr. of Regional Trial Court Branch 38, a justice on wheels, issued two warrants to search the house and vehicles, a Mazda pick-up with plate no. LAB 9287 and Toyota Fortuner with temporary plate A7H023.
Police seized a Beretta 9mm without serial number with a magazine containing 14 live bullets, five magazines with 29 live bullets of 9 mm and two magazine pouches inside the house.
A Colt MK IV ACP 9mm pistol with SN 497345 loaded with one live bullet and a magazine with eight live bullets was also recovered from the Fortuner.
Morales said the inventory of seized pieces of evidence was done in an “orderly manner” in the presence of the arrested person.
“This is a stern warning to all that we are dead serious in conducting an intensified drive against loose firearms,” Morales said. “Whether you are famous or not, rich or poor, once violated, we will hunt you down. We must restore trust and confidence of the people in the capacities of the government.”
The police director commended the operatives.
