AN OFFICIAL of the Police Regional Office-Northern Mindanao (PRO-10) assured the public that the region's police force is not into drug recycling.
Lt. Col. Mardy Hortillosa, PRO-10 spokesperson, said it is not their practice to recycle illegal drugs seized from operations.
"Kung mag-recycle ang police ug drugs, murag sama na siya nga drug dealer pud, kung gabuhat ka ana, it means to say wala ka nag-suporta sa kampanya sa presidente nga mahimong drug-free," Hortillosa said.
He also urged witnesses, such as members of the media, barangay officials, and Department of Justice (DOJ) personnel to attend every drug operations to help ensure the transparency of the operations.
"Amo ng paningkamotan nga wala. Mao bitaw na nga during operations, manawag mi diritso ug media, ang purpose ana nga ma sure dili mapaksian ang nakuha. Transparent man gyud ang procedure during sa operation," he said.
The drug recycling came into light after the Senate launched a probe on the case of 13 police officers accused of recycling drugs seized in a 2013 operation in Pampanga.
So far, Hortillosa said there have been no reported drug recycling incidents in the region.
Hortillosa made the statement during a press conference in Camp Alagar last week on the arrest of high value target (HVT) drug personalities who yielded P350,000 worth of illegal drugs.
Police arrested last week Manuel Dagooc, 37, a resident of Igpit, Opol, Misamis Oriental, and Jinnifer Quilab, 35, a resident of Julio Pacana St., Barangay 25, Cagayan de Oro City.
The two had just been freed from jail following the dismissal of the drug charges against them. Dagooc was released last September 23 while Quilab was released sometime in January this year.
Hortillosa said they learned that the two have resumed dealing in illegal drugs when Dagooc contacted an informant of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit.
For his part, Dagooc admitted that he used drugs but denied possession of illegal drugs worth P350,000.
"Dili man to sa amoa, planted to, ang amoa pang konsumo lang namo," they both claimed.