Several officials ‘implicated’

THE ongoing inter-agency task force investigation into the mystery surrounding a major Philippine National Police (PNP) anti-narcotics operation on Sunday, which resulted in the seizure of an estimated P6.7 billion worth of shabu so far, has led to the discovery of the purported involvement of a group of rogue officers in so-called “palit-ulo” and other illegal drug activities in Metro Manila and Central Luzon, the Journal Group learned Thursday.

Highly-reliable sources said that the suspect, a police master sergeant and a PNP Drug Enforcement Group (DEG) intelligence officer who was arrested as a result of the sting has made some interesting revelations and identified some officers and men said to be “coddling and protecting” Chinese drug kingpins.

The same rogues in uniform are also believed to be involved in the effort to stock nearly a ton of the so-called “poor man’s cocaine” confiscated by PNP-DEG operatives under Brigadier General Narciso D. Domingo last week.

The suspect is now being held at the highly-secured PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame, where he is undergoing investigation. On orders of PNP Chief Gen. Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr., the suspect was transferred to the Camp Crame jail to prevent the possibility he might be “silenced” by his fellow syndicate members to prevent him from squealing on them, the Journal Group learned on Monday.

A superior officer of the suspect has been ordered relieved pending the conduct of the administrative investigation ordered by Azurin and Domingo.

However, Journal Group sources said that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), headed by Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva had made a report to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. virtually clearing two former PNP-DEG directors, namely Brig. Generals Remus B. Medina and Randy Q. Peralta of any involvement in the controversy.

Both PNP generals were said to “have no direct link or previous relationship” with the accused officer and his group since the latter and his men were already with the PNP-DEG when Medina and Peralta were designated to head the PNP’s premier anti-narcotics unit in succession.

Sources said that the accused police officers were previously arrested and investigated by the PDEA in Quezon City. They were accused of allegedly “harboring” big-time Chinese drug dealers in furtherance of their illegal activities and on several occasions, were said to have been targeted by the PDEA for their illegal activities.

One of those operations involved a massive PDEA and PNP effort to smash a Chinese-led syndicate said to have smuggled over a ton of high-grade shabu in Zambales province thru the so-called “shipside smuggling method” in September 2021.

Several Chinese nationals involved in the major drug smuggling try were killed during the operation.

A highly-confidential report seen by the Journal Group said that the suspects being investigated were also involved in a very recent operation in Pampanga province where two Chinese nationals were arrested in a sting that netted some 500 kilograms of shabu worth P3.4 billion. The said operation was not reported to higher authorities or the media.

The report said that last September 27, PNP-DEG operatives who were conducting an anti-narcotics surveillance operation managed to identify a white SUV (sports utility vehicle) as the vehicle being used by one of their targets to transport shabu.

The vehicle was later found parked near the Wealth & Personal Development Lending (WPD) Inc. located in Sta. Cruz, Manila, where nearly one ton of shabu was discovered hidden inside big safety vaults.

The driver of the SUV, who was arrested after he reportedly sold two kilos of shabu worth P13.6 million in the underground market, was later identified as the accused police. He reportedly sold the drugs for P1.2 million each kilo.

On the other hand, the caretaker of the raided money lending firm was arrested.

Journal Group sources said that both Azurin and Villanueva ordered the filing of criminal charges against the police.

Officials who talked with the Journal Group on anonymity said that the 990 kilograms of shabu seized in Tondo, Manila, and the 60 kilos of the same drug confiscated along NLEX Pampanga last July 28 had the same “packaging”.

They said they have reasons to believe that the officers and men in their minds are involved in the alleged “manipulation” of their anti-drug reports to make it difficult for the rest of their unit and other law enforcement agencies to arrest the “high-value targets” (HVTs) supposedly under their protection.

The suspect-police officer was temporarily prevented from having any visitors amid the ongoing investigation by an inter-agency task force. He was earlier charged with non-bailable charges for sale and possession of prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Azurin vowed to go after any of his men who will be found involved in the stocking of the huge volume of drugs.

“As I have said before, we will not tolerate any wrongdoings by any of our men. This is part of our ongoing massive internal cleansing program,” said Azurin.

Azurin said that the arrest of the police officer is “proof” that their intensified cleansing program continues to be unrelenting and will spare nobody.

“We are intensifying our counter-intelligence operations versus erring policemen. But this drive is not to kill but to identify the gravity of some policemen’s involvement in illegal activities. In the case of Mayo, I assure the public that there will be [a] compromise here,” the top cop said.

Azurin said they want the arrested policeman to reveal what he knows and identify his fellows. “We don’t care who will be hurt here. Ang dapat niyang gawin ay tulungan niya kami kasi kulong pa din naman siya habang-buhay dito,” the PNP chief said.

The top cop said that the disgraced police officer will join the other policemen who will suffer the consequences of their illegal acts, thousands of them fired from the force already after being found guilty of serious charges hurled at them.

The PNP chief said he had ordered Domingo to dig deeper into the incident.

“Mataas ang posibilidad na me nag-utos sa kanya, na may mga kasama siya. Kaya secured na siya and we will start interviewing him,” said – Domingo as he added they are not discounting the possibility that nearly one ton of shabu recovered on Sunday could have been previously seized from previous anti-narcotics operations.