Two ‘swindlers’ fall in police entrapment

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Two alleged swindlers were arrested in a police entrapment operation morning of June 8, 2021 in City Proper district, Iloilo City.

Renalie Lavalle, 38, of Guzman-Jesena Street, Mandurriao, Iloilo City and Maria Trexie Joguilon, 31, of Barangay Ungka II, Pavia, Iloilo were accused of hoodwinking the wife of an arrested drug suspect.

Major Jose Mark Anthony Gesulga, Mandurriao police chief, said Lavalle and Joguilon allegedly offered to process the bail for Sheila Ompar, 42, a resident of Barangay Poblacion, Tapaz, Capiz.

Sheila’s husband, Amer Ompar, 42, and his brother, Solayman Ompar, 19, were arrested at their residence in Barangay Loboc, Lapuz district, Iloilo City during a police anti-narcotics operation on May 25.

Members of the Mandurriao Police Station, together with the Iloilo City Police Office – City Intelligence Unit and Regional Maritime Unit 6, arrested the Ompars after allegedly selling a sachet of suspected shabu for P11,000.

Aside from the sachet of shabu and the P11,000 marked money, police also seized a caliber .357 revolver, an M1 Garamond rifle, a rifle scope, a mobile phone, 12 assorted ammunition, four M1 Garand ammunition clip, a roll of aluminum foil, a pack of plastic bag, and a motorcycle.

Gesulga said Juguilon managed to “sweet talk” Sheila that they could process her husband’s bail so that the latter could be temporarily released from detention.

But Gesulga said that one of the cases against Ompar was non-bailable.

While they could post bail for charges on two counts of violation of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act), the case for violation of RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) is non-bailable.

Juguilon allegedly asked Sheila for P30,000 as processing fee, to include the drug dependency examination (DDE).

The transaction started May 28 and Sheila paid an initial P15,000 on June 3.

Sheila said the suspects assured her that they could process the documents for her to post bail.

They agreed to give the documents on June 8 wherein Sheila is expected to pay the remaining P15,000.

But unknown to them, Sheila has sought advice at the police station on June 3.

“She was asking us for a certificate of detention. She then mentioned that two women offered to process her husband’s bail,” Gesulga said.

Sheila apparently believed that it was a legitimate transaction since the two women name-dropped two intelligence operatives of the Mandurriao Police Station.

Gesulga said he called the attention of the police officers whom the suspects mentioned, but they denied anything to do with Juguilon’s modus operandi.

“It was then that we decided to launch the entrapment operation against them,” Gesulga said.

The Mandurriao police chief theorized that Juguilon learned of his intelligence personnel’s names from the police station’s directory when she was arrested by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Iloilo City field unit, which is co-located at the Mandurriao Police Station building, for an estafa charge.

Sheila and the two suspects initially decided to do the pay off at a mall in La Paz district.

The two later decided to do it in front of the Iloilo Hall of Justice at Bonifacio Drive, Iloilo City.

When arrested, the two were not in possession of any document that could indicate that they processed the bail application of Sheila’s husband.

The two would be charged for the crime of Estafa or Swindling which is punishable under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code.

 

‘NOTORIOUS SWINDLER’

Gesulga said that it was already Juguilon’s third arrest for estafa.

On December 2, 2020, the CIDG-Iloilo City arrested her in Pavia, Iloilo.

The suspect then identified herself as Marie Trexie Joguilon, and not Maria Trexie Juguilon.

She was arrested after three complainants accused her of illegal recruitment for local employment.

The suspect allegedly posed as a secretary for a restaurant owner.

Gesulga claimed that there might be other victims who may have been duped by Juguilon and her cohort.