Local News

Convicted drug lord Vicente Sy dies

Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo

HIGH-PROFILE inmate Vicente Sy, who was convicted of illegal drug charges, died on Thursday, July 29, 2021, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) spokesperson Gabby Chaclag confirmed.

Sy, who was detained at the Philippine Marine Corps, a BuCor extension facility, suffered cardiac arrest at around 8 p.m. on July 29.

Two days earlier, on July 27, Sy was rushed to the Philippine Marine Naval Hospital due to breathing difficulty.

He was given oral medication and brought back to his detention cell per advice of his attending physician.

On July 29, doctors from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) checked on Sy and said he suffered from stroke, which prompted his confinement at the NBP Hospital in Muntinlupa.

He was going to be transferred to the Ospital ng Muntinlupa when he died.

Chaclag said Sy’s remains are scheduled for autopsy.

Sy was a convicted drug lord who tagged detained Senator Leila de Lima as protector in the illegal drug trade in the NBP.

Sy also claimed that he donated P500,000 for De Lima’s campaign during the 2012 national elections.

Over 20 high-profile inmates of the NBP had died since the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic began last year.

Among them were kidnap for ransom convict Jaybee Sebastian, and another convicted drug lord, Armin Buratong.

Convicted murderer and rapist Antonio Sanchez also died last March. He was found unresponsive inside his detention cell.

Chaclag said Sanchez suffered from chronic kidney disease, hypertension, gastroenteritis, prostate and asthma. (SunStar Philippines)

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