PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. yesterday ordered the conduct of summary dismissal proceedings against a Caloocan City policeman arrested by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for trafficking of shabu last Thursday.

“We are now conducting an in-depth probe of the arrested policeman,” said the top cop as he vowed to “continue an unrelenting crackdown against misfits and scalawags in the police force.”

The PNP chief assured that the erring Caloocan City policeman will be “dismissed” from the police force for his criminal and administrative offenses, which are all grave in nature.

The arrest of Corporal Mark Jefferson Lopez of the Caloocan City Police Sub-Station 13 in Bagong Silang caught the ire of the Northern Police District Director Brig. Gen. Ulysses G. Cruz and immediately ordered the administrative relief of the entire sub-station personnel pending their investigation.

Among those relieved from their posts were the sub-station commander, his deputy, and night shift supervisor. All were ordered disarmed by Cruz and placed under camp restriction pending an in-depth investigation he ordered.

Cruz said that the investigation will cover the current and previous assignments of the arrested policeman.

“We do not condone the wrongdoings and irregularities of our erring personnel. I will assure the public that they will feel and face the full force of the law,” Cruz said.

Azurin said that the investigation is part of his directive to go after “rogues” in uniform regardless of their rank and position.

“This is integral in our internal reform initiatives under the ‘Malasakit, Kaayusan at Kapayapaan tungo sa Kaunlaran’ or M+K+K=K program. We condemn all irregularities committed by our personnel,” said Azurin.

The PNP chief, however, assured that the concerned policemen will be afforded due process.

Undercover officers from the PDEA National Capital Region Office arrested the cop and his cousin for conspiring to sell some 500 grams of shabu worth P3.4 million to an undercover officer in front of the National Book Store along Zabarte Road in Almar, Barangay 172, Caloocan City around 5:00 p.m. last Thursday.

Villanueva said that the duo are now being investigated at the PDEA national headquarters in Quezon City and will be facing non-bailable charges for the sale and possession of prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Recovered from the possession of the duo were three plastic sachets of shabu valued at P3.4 million, the P300,000 buy-bust money, and two pistols.

According to Villanueva, members of the PDEA National Capital Region Office led by Intelligence Agent Marvin Mendozo also seized a PNP-issued caliber 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol, a magazine, 19 live 9mm ammunition, a PNP identification card, and two mobile phones from the possession of the Caloocan City policeman who resides at PNP Compound in Samson Road.

On the other hand, the suspect’s cousin, a resident of Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, was found to possess a cal. .45 pistol with a magazine containing seven bullets and a mobile phone.

All three mobile phones will be subjected to a forensic examination to determine other contacts of the duo.