IN a span of four days, two policemen--one a junior officer--who were linked to the illegal drugs trade were gunned down in Cebu. Senior Insp. Raymond Hortezuela was shot dead by fellow police operatives from the counter-intelligence group in what they claimed as a buy-bust operation in Tipolo, Mandaue City Sunday night. Hortezuela was reportedly a protector of the slain drug lord Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz. When Diaz died, the police officer himself allegedly engaged in the trade.
No less than the police regional command divulged the alleged involvement of the slain police officer in the illegal drugs trade. But this allegation was strongly denied by Hortezuela’s relatives.
Wednesday night, PO3 Jonathan Tilos of the Ginatilan Police Office was shot dead by still unidentified assailants in the town of Alegria. Tilos had just come out from the town’s fitness gym when the assailants peppered his vehicle with bullets. He died on the spot.
According to the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), Tilos, who was formerly assigned with the Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB), was in the “narco list” of the Philippine National Police (PNP). He reportedly had strong connection with self-confessed drug lord Franz Sabalones. This allegation was also strongly denied by the slain cop’s daughter.
Last April 25, PO2 Kenneth Pugoy, who was also linked to the illegal drugs trade, was gunned down near Plaza Independencia by unidentified motorcycle-riding assailants. Pogoy, who was assigned in Marawi City, just came from a hearing at the Cebu City Hall of Justice before he was killed.
Last August, PO3 Ryan Martus Quiamco, an alleged drug lord, was killed by fellow police operatives from the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) in a gun battle in Pooc, Talisay City. He was with his wife when the incident happened. She was wounded. The slain policeman was also linked to Sabalones. According to the police, Quiamco started as a middleman for Sabalones.
When a member of Sabalones’s group got caught, the policeman would reportedly approach the team leader of the arresting team and negotiate his release. Quiamco would often travel to Ozamiz City and allegedly get supplies of shabu from the Parojinogs. Imagine, a law enforcer engaged in drug dealing activities?
The are other cops who are active in the illegal drugs trade. The PNP hierarchy is in the process of cleansing its ranks of these scalawags. We can just surmise that these killings are part of the internal cleansing of the police organization. That is my suspicion.
Why are those in the “narco list” not criminally and administratively charged? Some of them were just re-assigned to remote areas while others were eliminated through legitimate police operations and through mysterious killings. Maybe the PNP hierarchy thinks that if these police scalawags are charged, it is possible they would be acquitted because of their money and connections. Transferring them to other areas is not also an assurance that they will stop doing shenanigans.
Aw, maayo pa’y pamatyon. So can we expect more law enforcers who are being linked to the illegal drugs trade to suffer the same fate?
Patay pa more.