Unknown motorbike-riding assailants pumped several bullets on their prey, an alleged drug dealer, at around 3:45 p.m. last Thursday along Zamora street, a few meters from the city integrated bus terminal, police said in an interview with the Bohol Sunday Post.  Police identified the victim as Fernando Verula, Jr., 33, a resident of St. Joseph, barangay Cogon, this city. The victim bathed in his own blood with his lifeless body lying on ground due to gunshot wounds on his head and other parts of his body.  While the victim drove his red motorcycle without license plate, another motorcycle tailed him from behind and shot him several times.

 Recovered from the victim's possession include a least five sachets of what police believed as “shabu,” .38 pistol revolver with live bullets, two mobile phones, and cash of more than Php3,000.00. The motorcycle he was riding was in the name of a certain Charles Talili of barangay Dao based on the recovered official receipt and certificate of registration, police said.  The victim was a former driver of DYRD anchorman Anthony Aniscal who admitted he fired Verula due to his involvement in illegal drugs.  In a separate interview, the victim's wife, Edna Verula, said that his husband has just started to engage in the illegal drugs trade. She said she tried to stop him but he did not heed her, adding that the victim was used to be a user prior to being a pusher.  She said that her husband was talented, knowing him that he can cook well, an electrician, a carpenter and other household chore.

 Initial reports indicated that the killing cold be related to illegal drug business. PCInp George Vale, city police chief, said that some of the burglaries were eventually solved with the demise of the victim, who was the suspected responsible of the series of theft. But he said it's still a tall order for the police to pinpoint who are the assailants. Vale said the victim could be behind the series of robberies and carnapping incidents, including the carnap incident involving a lawyer's car here.  The recent Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting bared that illegal drugs is a multi-million-peso business with a hefty PhP9,621,484 since August 15 last year until recently, according to the report of PSupt Jeffrey Caballes, who made the power point presentation during Provincial Peace and Order Council )PPOC) meeting last week presided over by Gov. Edgar Chatto.  During the period, the police were able to document some and confiscated a total of 802.34 grams of what is believed to be shabu and 139.75 grams of marijuana following the conduct of 161 operations, the report said.  During the month of June, PNP arrested 31 suspects in the possession of prohibited substances, who are facing 35 cases filed in court following 18 operations, it said. (RVO)