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NCRPO to beef up intel vs. 'narco cops'

By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan

March 8, 2019, 4:37 pm

(Photo courtesy: NCRPO)

MANILA – The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Friday ordered all district directors to intensify intelligence gathering against cops involved in illegal drug activities.

The order covers the Manila Police District (MPD), Quezon City Police District (QCPD), Northern Police District (NPD), Southern Police District (SPD), and the Eastern Police District (EPD).

“Our district directors, the five district Directors and Station Commanders, we will intensify our intelligence monitoring, counter intelligence to find out kung sino pa sa mga kasamahan namin (ang) involved sa droga at (who among our colleagues are involved in illegal drugs and) illegal activities. And we are appealing to the public to continue supporting and cooperating with us,” NCRPO chief, Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar told reporters.

This move comes after a police officer was arrested when caught in the act of sniffing shabu in Sampaloc, Manila on Thursday night.

The suspect was identified as Patrolman Ferdinand Cruz Rafael, 52, and assigned at District Administrative Holding Unit (DAHU) of MPD.

He said Rafael was arrested inside Room B #356, Calabasita Street in Barangay 539 Sampaloc Manila around 11 p.m. on Thursday.

Eleazar said the arrest stemmed from an information from a concerned citizen that Rafael frequently visited the room where illegal drugs transactions are taking place.

“A video footage while actually sniffing illegal drugs (shabu) was also secured in the course of casing and surveillance by the operatives,” Eleazar said.

A buy-bust operation against Rafael was conducted upon verification of his involvement in illegal drugs.

Investigation revealed that Rafael was recruited in the Special Action Force in 1995. He went on absent without official leave during his Commando training.

He was then reinstated in the police service in 2002 and was charged with an administrative case, causing his suspension. Moreover, he was assigned at Caloocan before his assignment at the MPD.

Upon apprehension, NCRPO operatives seized from him a total of 15 grams of shabu with a street value of PHP102,000. The recovered pieces of evidence were brought to the PNP Crime Laboratory for Drug Test and Qualitative and Quantitative examination.

The suspect was brought to the NCRPO Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) office for documentation and disposition and will face cases for violation of Section 5, 11, 12, 14 and 15, Article ll of RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act Of 2002). (PNA)

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