Bangkay ng mag-asawang Melvin at Meriam Odicta. Photo courtesy of RMN-Kalibo

MANILA (UPDATE) - Alleged drug lord Melvin "Dragon" Odicta and his wife were shot dead by an unidentified man in Caticlan port in Malay, Aklan early Monday.

The Odictas had just alighted from a roll-on roll-off vessel at around 1:30 a.m. when the assailant hailed bullets on them, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson, Superintendent Dionardo Carlos told radio dzMM.

Carlos said police rushed the couple to the Malay District Hospital, where they were declared dead by an attending physician.

In an interview with ANC on Monday, Aklan Provincial Police Office Director, Senior Supreintendent John Jamili said they are still identifying the suspects.

Jamili also said that unlike previous reports, the Odictas were actually traversing the pathway from ship to jetty port when they were shot.

Jamili said they are considering the possibility that the suspects of the shooting are also inside the roll-on roll-off vessel they were alighting from, as well as the possibility that the suspects were in the Caticlan jetty port.

"Madaling araw yung nangyari, ma’am, so we are considering all the possibilities that might be--also with the passengers ang suspect or dito rin sa baba," he said.

He added, he has already directed the different chiefs of police to establish checkpoints across different municipalities of Aklan.

DRUG KINGPIN?

The PDEA earlier identified Odicta as a top drug kingpin in Iloilo province who went by the name "Dragon" in the underground trade.

Odicta and his wife, Merriam, met with Interior Secretary Mike Sueno on Thursday to deny their alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

During the meeting at Camp Crame in Quezon City, the couple allegedly submitted their version of a ''drug matrix'' involving lawmakers and local officials.

READ: Iloilo's most wanted 'Dragon' denies ties to drugs

The Odictas, Sueno said, went to Manila because they felt threatened in Iloilo. -- With a report from Henry Atuelan, DZMM