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[av_heading heading=’New drug suppliers? PDEA learns of Bilibid sources not in radar’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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February 1, 2018
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MANILA – Illegal drug trade inside New Bilibid Prison continues with the emergence of new suppliers, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Wednesday.
The PDEA has learned about sources not among those it has been monitoring, Acting Director for Intelligence Services Jigger Montellana told a House of Representatives Committee on Justice hearing.
“We found out that some of the drugs we have confiscated actually come from transactions from [Bilibid], and most of these personalities are not captured in the radar of personalities we are already monitoring,” Montellana said.
“We have monitored mga big-time personalities in [Bilibid]. Hindi iyon iyong mga lumalabas na pangalan sa mga nako-confiscate namin,” he said. “So basically may new names na nag-come up na wala sa radar.”
Unlike before, drugs are no longer manufactured or stored inside Bilibid but traded through connections with Chinese drug lords outside, Bureau of Corrections legal officer Daisy Castillote said.
“We are concurring with the PDEA. There is no manufacturing inside the Bureau of Corrections or [Bilibid],” she said. “Transactions made through telephone communications is all that is happening. No proliferation inside.”
In 2016 the House committee also held an inquiry into the supposed drug trade in the national penitentiary. This led to the filing of drug-related charges against Sen. Leila de Lima.
De Lima was accused of allowing illegal drugs to proliferate in Bilibid when she was Justice secretary. She is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center./PN
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