Thursday, January 03, 2008 3 anti-drug cops nabbed for extortion By Dante M. Fabian
THREE drug enforcement policemen were arrested on New Year's Day inside the Angeles City Police Office (Acpo)-Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) office in an entrapment operation laid out by the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division (RIDMD).
Senior Superintendent Silvestre Primero, RIDMD chief, and his team arrested DEU policeman Mervin Manaloto after recovering marked money from his possession.
Manaloto and two other DEU policemen, Rene Manuel and Oliver Desilos, were brought to Camp Olivas in the City of San Fernando for investigation.
The three policemen were arrested on complaints of allegedly asking for P20,000 in exchange for the release of a man who had been arrested for using illegal drugs.
The suspects were charged for extortion on complaint filed by the wife of Danilo Sarmiento-Soriano, a drug dependant.
Primero said Soriano's wife, Analiza, was asked to give P20,000 by the policeman to secure his release from police custody.
The RIDMD chief said according to the complainant, the policemen held their motorcycle's registration papers as a guarantee that she will produce and give them the money. He said the entrapment operation was conducted in pursuit of the campaign waged by Central Luzon Police Regional Director Errol Pan against police scalawags.
Senior Superintendent George Gaddi, Acpo director, after finding out the accusations against the policemen, allowed the RIDMD team to take the three policemen to Camp Olivas.
Gaddi said the policemen should face the charges against them in court. He added that "if the case is proven," they (suspects) would have no place in his command. He said if the suspects are indeed guilty of extortion, they should be dismissed from service, as part of the PNP's campaign against scalawags in the law enforcement agency.
Pan has ordered Gaddi to recall Manaloto from his present assignment and take custody of all government issued items from him especially firearms, if any.
Primero, upon the instructions of Pan, has also launched efforts to convince the victim and his family to allow him to be placed under drug rehabilitation.
