A SPECIAL Investigation Task Group (SITG) said 49 police personnel were found to have criminal and administrative liability over the stolen 42 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) during an anti-narcotic operation in Manila City in 2022, which resulted in the seizure of a total of 990 kilograms of illegal drugs.
The SITG 990, chaired by Philippine National Police (PNP) Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) director Major General Eliseo Cruz, has issued a memorandum ordering the disarmament of 49 police officers, including the nine policemen who were named by Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. as allegedly involved in a "massive cover-up" during a highly irregular anti-drug operation on October 8, 2022.
Among the 49 were relieved chief of Police Drugs Enforcement Group (PDEG) Brigadier General Narciso Domingo and Colonels Rolando Portera and Julian Olonan who led the operation.
The SITG was created for the conduct of a probe on the 42 kilograms of shabu stolen by several PDEG personnel during the said operation but was later surrendered.
The 990 kilograms of shabu were found in a lending office owned by dismissed Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr.
In a press conference on Sunday, April 16, 2023, Cruz identified Lieutenant Jonathan Sosongco as the one directing the stealing of the shabu from the crime scene.
Cruz said that based on the account of Senior Master Sergeant Jerrywin Rebosora, who also took part in the operation, the stolen illegal drugs were supposed to serve as a reward for their confidential informant.
Cruz said various administrative and criminal charges are being prepared against the 49 police personnel who were either relieved or have been placed under restrictive custody.
He said Domingo, Portera, Olonan, Ibañez and Sosongco displayed incompetence in carrying out their duties as police officers during the said operation. Several provisions of the police operational procedures regarding the handling, custody and disposition of drug and non-drug evidence, as well as chain of custody, were violated.
Among the recommendations of the SITG was the conduct of a case build-up against the 49 police personnel to further strengthen the criminal cases that will be filed against them and to locate the other dangerous drugs taken from the operation.
Cruz clarified that the 42 kilos of shabu were not part of the 990 kilograms that were seized in Mayo’s lending office.
“Yes 990 plus 10 is one ton already. So 990 plus 42 plus so ‘yung plus yun ang X,” he said.
“I cannot comment on that, but if we are just depending on the movement in the CCTV (closed-circuit television) video on how many loading, about the size of being loaded, so lahat yun but we are sure there are still missing illegal drugs,” he added.
Cruz said they have already submitted their report to PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. as well as the National Police Commission.
He said they will further investigate the lapses committed by the police during the whole October 8 operation.
Abalos earlier noted irregularities in the report handed down by PDEG pertaining to the said operation as compared to the CCTV footage of the actual series of events. (SunStar Philippines)