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Saturday, February 02, 2008
Drug suspect's brod, daughter held for 'bribe try'
By Mia A. Abellana
CEBU CITY -- Police operatives and suspected members of a drug syndicate traded accusations as to who first offered to settle a drug-related case.
Washington Oyao and his niece Janessa Oyao Cortes were arrested Thursday night after allegedly offering to pay operatives of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (Raidsotf) P150,000 in cash to release Paquito Oyao.
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Paquito, Washington's brother and Janessa's father, was arrested in a buy bust the previous night in Barangay Marigondon, Lapu-Lapu City.
One of the Oyao brothers, Remigio, was included in the list of suspected drug lords identified by Representative Antonio Cuenco some years back.
The Oyaos of Marigondon and Agus are facing a string of illegal drug cases in the city.
Police said the Oyaos were noted drug pushers in the area, known for their operations in Lapu-Lapu City and Bohol Province.
Janessa told a GMA 7 news team that she was worried when her father failed to return home on Wednesday. When she learned that he was arrested by the Raidsotf operatives, she went to the unit's office to inquire on his whereabouts.
Janessa claimed that the police asked her for P150,000 in exchange for her father's liberty.
Operatives, however, denied this claim and said it was the Oyaos who first brought up the negotiations.
Inspector Kenneth Albotra was quoted by GMA 7 as saying that the Oyaos kept asking them to release Paquito, which prompted him to coordinate with his superiors if he could arrange an entrapment.
The meeting was set at the Raidsotf office inside the compound of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 in Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. at 6 p.m.
Washington and Janessa reportedly arrived and began negotiating for Paquito's release.
After they agreed on P150,000 as the amount, Washington and Janessa reportedly went outside the compound to meet someone who was riding a motorcycle.
Minutes later, she returned to the office with the money.
While the money was being counted, operatives suddenly approached them and placed them under arrest.
This was witnessed by a GMA 7 news team hiding in another room of the Raidsotf office.
But instead of the agreed P150,000, only P100,000 was counted. The money was in P500 bills.
Police claimed the Oyaos asked them to lower the amount to P100,000. (With REV of Superbalita/Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (February 2, 2008 issue)
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