‘Wanted thief’ caught with drugs, gun at fiesta

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A man accused of theft now faces more serious charges after being found with illegal drugs and an unlicensed firearm in Pavia, Iloilo.

Marlon Suncio, 49, from Barangay Jibao-an, was arrested while attending a fiesta at a friend’s house in Mali-ao village, Pavia.

The arrest was made by the Pavia Municipal Police Station and the Iloilo Police Provincial Office – Provincial Intelligence Unit (IPPO-PIU), executing an arrest warrant for theft under Article 308 of the Revised Penal Code.

Judge Carmela Mae Farrol Mallada-Tunguia of the 13th MCTC, Sixth Judicial Region, Santa Barbara – Pavia, Iloilo, issued the arrest warrant on Sept. 4, 2023. Suncio’s bail was set at P10,000.

Suncio is the third most wanted person in Pavia town, according to Major Dadje Delima, the Pavia police chief.

Following his arrest, officers conducted a customary frisk, during which they discovered a sachet of suspected shabu and a break-type 12-gauge shotgun loaded with four rounds of ammunition.

Delima noted that Suncio had been previously arrested for a drug-related offense and, after his release, was believed to be involved in several house burglaries.

Suncio is now detained and will face additional charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Republic Act 9165) and the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act (Republic Act 10591).