SOME important facts have been revealed in the ongoing congressional investigation into the massive drug haul in Tondo, Manila that netted a ton of shabu.
The total stash would have been 1,033 kilograms. The police reported 990 kilograms, but CCTV footages showed some of them carting away 43 kilograms that they were eventually constrained to also report.
Responding to questions propounded by Cong. Romeo Acop, police General Narciso Domingo, who headed the PNP Drug Enforcement Group when the massive loot was discovered, said that those were ārecycledā drugs that were previously apprehended during an anti-drug operation somewhere in Region 3.
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Strangely, no suspects were arrested in that previous operation. That was relayed by Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo when he was interviewed by Domingo after his so-called arrest at his lending company in Tondo. No excuse was given why he had to safekeep the drug haul in a private establishment in Manila.
That was simply possession of illegal drugs. There is no paper trail indicating that the operation and the custody of its fruits was reported or coordinated with the prime anti-drug authority in the country ā the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority (PDEA).
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The Region 3 operation was massive. Nothing less than a big-time drug syndicate was involved. It yielded the biggest drug yield in recent history, despite the much-ballyhooed anti-drug campaign of Rodrigo Duterte.
The street value of the contraband could elect a Philippine president.
So, what is the source of these drugs?
Domingo did not admit the existence of local shabu laboratories. He said that these drugs were sourced from abroad and smuggled either through local ports or by way of āshipside smuggling,ā meaning that the drug products are dropped at sea, picked up and brought to shore by local fishermen.
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Domingo might yet be able to assist in the resolution of the bugging issue: who is this big-time drug-lord or syndicate and who is protecting him or them?
He initially provided information by installment, trying to hide under the sub-judice rule because of the criminal cases already filed against Sgt. Mayo. There was reluctance to discuss the details of the Tondo operation because it might result in the dismissal of those cases.
But Mayo is obviously nothing more than an errand boy. The infinitely better result is the identification and apprehension of the syndicate, including the government authorities protecting them.
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A ton of shabu slated for destruction is one ton less in the illegal drug market. That is one good thing that came out of this controversy.
Convicting Mayo by his lonesome will however put a lid on further clues that will identify the civilian, police, and government personalities who are most likely involved in illegal transactions so extensive that at least one ton of shabu had been hoarded away from the public eye.
Certainly, the invocation of sub-judice can be subordinated to the oversight powers of Congress that were directly delegated by the people through the Constitution.
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Secretary Benhur Abalos shone a light on the dark underworld of the anti-drug operatives under him. Now he has ordered random drug testing among the staff of the Department of Interior and Local Government and its attached agencies.
The suggestion is that this be cascaded to the local government units including local executives. We might be surprised at the results./PN
