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Sunday, March 07, 2004
2 cops linked to drugs probed
By Oscar C. Pineda
TWO Lapu-Lapu City policemen, one a son of a retired Philippine Constabulary general, are under investigation for being drug protectors.
Lapu-Lapu City Police Chief Louie Oppus sought the help of Provincial Internal Affairs Service to investigate PO1 Artemio Tumakay III and PO2 Marcelo Cometa for allegedly coddling drug pushers in Barangay Mactan.
Tumakay reportedly tipped off suspected pushers about impending raids. So when the police once raided three houses, they failed to find drugs. One suspect was not even home.
Tumakay is son of retired general Artemio Tumakay.
Last year, police arrested him after he was found outside a suspected pusher’s house shortly before the police launched an operation.
Failed raids
But in recent drug raids from the night of Feb. 24 to Feb. 25 dawn on the houses of Laura Alegres, Nelson Mabuyo and an unfinished building of Alegres, all in Barangay Mactan, Tumakay acted as driver of the raiding team.
Alegres was not in her home, only Mabuyo and his daughter. On the unfinished building, only Wendel Paquibot was there.
Police failed to find drugs in the raids.
Only Paquibot was arrested for possessing sniffing paraphernalia with suspected shabu residue.
After the raid, three informants surfaced and pointed to Tumakay and Cometa as being close to Alegres.
A member of the raiding team even executed affidavits about Tumakay’s conversation with Mabuyo’s daughter during the raid.
Sun.Star has copies of the affidavits of two men, a woman and a policeman, but decided to withhold their identities until Tumakay and Cometa are formally charged.
The first elder male informant said Tumakay visited him several times to ask for money,
gasoline and even drugs last year. He gave him these for free as he was still in the drug business then.
Eventually, Tumakay’s demands increased, so he sought the help of Alegres, who gave Tumakay P1,000.
Corroboration
The female informant corroborated the allegations.
She said that prior to the raid, she noticed a commotion and “engines running” at Alegres’ house. It was midnight of Feb. 24.
She thought it was already the raid. But when she called the police station to verify, she was told the police weren’t at the scene yet.
The third younger male informant stated in his affidavit that when he used to work at Alegres, he always saw Tumakay and Cometa talking to the lady.
He also stated that at 8 a.m. after the raid, he saw Tumakay in front of the unfinished building. He saw the policeman left the place.
PO2 Rolando Navarro, for his part, stated in his affidavit that Tumakay and Mabuyo’s daughter Maribel knew each other.
Tumakay was then at the kitchen with Navarro when he overheard the two talking.
He overheard the younger Mabuyo telling Tumakay, “Ikaw diay na sir, imo gyud gitinuod nga mobalik ka magdala ug papel (So it’s you, sir. You really made good your promise that
ou will be back bringing papers).”
Tumakay answered her, “Wa koy labot ani, driver ra ko (I’m not part of this. I’m just a driver).”
Rifle repair
Sun.Star called up the Lapu-Lapu City police to ask for Tumakay. SPO1 Eduardo Pevida said the policeman is not around.
Last July 10, 2003, a joint team from Lapu-Lapu City police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested Tumakay after they found him outside the house of suspected drug pushers Wilbert Apa Waram and Geronimo Dacayana at 10:30 p.m.
Tumakay said he was there to have his .22 rifle repaired.
SPO4 Wilfredo Pulvera said both drug suspects were Tumakay’s friends.
Police then raided and recovered from Dacayana’s house three packs of suspected shabu, a .22 rifle, a .38 revolver, several bullets, a smoke grenade and shabu sniffing paraphernalia.
Tumakay that time claimed the rifle was his. He was placed under investigation, the results of which are still unknown.
(March 7, 2004 issue)
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