AWOL Manila cop falls in Capiz drug raid

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A former policeman reportedly assigned in Metro Manila was arrested following an anti-narcotics operation at Ivisan town in Capiz.

Members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6, together with the PNP Special Action Force, served the search warrant against Bobby Legazpi at his house in Barangay Malocloc Norte of Ivisan, at around 5:30 a.m. yesterday.

Levi Ortiz, PDEA-6 assistant regional director, said Legazpi was about to take his coffee when he received his "visitors" from the PDEA. More than 50 grams of shabu, with an estimated street value of P.5 million were seized from the suspect's room.

Legazpi is ranked second on Capiz Police's watchlist of illegal drug personalities. Considered as a high-value target (HVT) level 2, he was monitored to be involved in the illegal drug trade for quite sometime already but remained elusive from arrest until yesterday.

Ortiz said the suspect's scope of operations covered the whole province of Capiz. He allegedly sourced his supply from Metro Manila and brought the contraband through the port of Caticlan in Malay, Aklan, then brought to Ivisan through the town's port.

In a related development, Legazpi however denied that he was into shabu peddling. But he admitted to have surrendered through PNP Oplan Tokhang after a police official just included him in watchlist of illegal drug personalities. The inclusion was allegedly brought after the unnamed policeman harbored a grudge against him, he said.

Amid the quantity of illegal drugs seized from his house, Legazpi vehemently denied that the shabu seized were not taken from his possession. He also claimed that his wife's jewelries were lost when PDEA agents scoured their house.

Legazpi insisted he is a legitimate businessman, as an owner of Airforce 21, a bar in Roxas City. He also claimed that there was nothing questionable about his lifestyle---his owning of vast land and a house---which he said was a product of his legal business, and not from illegal drugs.

It was gathered that the suspect went into AWOL (absent without official leave) in 2009. He worked in a casino before finally settling in Capiz. (FREEMAN)