PDEA: Marcelino worked for drug lord

MANILA, Philippines - Has Marine Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino, a known drug buster who was a key player in major anti-drug operations, joined the other side?

In the drug possession case filed before the Manila regional trial court, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (PNP-AIDG) alleged that the presence of Marcelino and his informant Yan Yi Shou, alias Randy, in the shabu laboratory in Sta. Cruz, Manila – where they were arrested in January last year – was not for an authorized military intelligence operation, as the two have claimed.

Probers said Marcelino and Yan were tapped by the drug lord who owned the townhouse that was turned into a shabu laboratory to salvage the nearly 77 kilos of shabu , with a street value of P380 million, seized by the drug enforcement agents.

They cited the telephone conversations between Marcelino and Yan that were recorded in Marcelino’s confiscated Samsung smartphone, which was submitted to the Manila regional trial court as evidence in the drug charges filed against the Marine officer and Yan.

The conversations were recorded through an application installed by Marcelino himself in his mobile phone, which means he intentionally recorded the phone calls, according to PDEA.

In the conversations – a copy of the transcript of stenographic notes was obtained by The STAR from a source privy to the investigation on the case – Marcelino and Yan were allegedly planning to take the shabu out of the laboratory before the PDEA and PNP-AIDG men raided the townhouse reportedly owned by Atong Lee.

The anti-narcotics agents said they were pursuing Lee’s operations several days before the raid on Jan. 21, 2016. They went to the laboratory six days earlier and chased Lee and his cohorts as they loaded shabu from the townhouse.

Lee and his men escaped but authorities seized the Mitsubishi Adventure under his name with 15 kilos of shabu left inside.

Car talk

Understanding that authorities already knew of the clandestine laboratory, Lee refused to return to the townhouse and instead tapped Marcelino and Yan to get the remaining shabu there for a fee, according to probers.

Part of their plan was to purchase a new vehicle to be used for the supposed operation and that would later on be given to Marcelino.

“Anung sasakyan ang bibilhin mo? (What vehicle are you going to buy?),” Marcelino asked Yan, to which the latter replied: “Anong gusto mo? (Which one do you prefer?)”

Marcelino then asked if the new vehicle would be his, and Yan answered in the affirmative.

“Manghiram na lang tayo ng sasakyan para may pera pa tayo. Ako na magpoproduce ng sasakyan ko (Let’s just borrow a vehicle so we can just take the money. I’ll just produce a car),” Marcelino suggested.

He also suggested to Yan to just buy his Pajero.

In the same conversation at 10:38 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2016, Marcelino then suggested that he instead use Yan’s Honda car.

“Asan na yung Honda mo, akin na... Bigay mo na lang sa akin yung Honda ako na lang gagamit para walang huli (Where’s your Honda? Just give it to me. I’ll just use it so I won’t get caught),” Marcelino said.

Marcelino also told Yan that he was informed by former colleagues in PDEA about an ongoing operation and wondered if it covered Lee’s townhouse.

He also warned Yan to be careful because PNP-AIDG was also on the case.

“Pare baka tao ng AIDSOTF (formerly the AIDG) yung sumalubong sayo mahirap yung ganun. Ikaw yung may dala ng item tapos baka taga AIDSOTF sumalubong sayo. Hindi pwedeng ganun (It will be hard if AIDSOTF men catch you. You’ll be carrying the item and AIDSOTF men might find you there. That should not happen),” Marcelino said, referring to the Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operations Task Force.

After getting the shabu, the two also allegedly planned to earn some more money by selling the shabu to a certain “Tony.”

Marcelino and Yan were then able to enter the townhouse after getting the keys from Lee, probers further alleged.

They were, however, caught by PDEA and PNP-AIDG in the townhouse during the raid.

The STAR reported over the weekend that the same recordings in Marcelino’s phone showed that he called for help from a ranking official of the AFP with code name “Perseus” during the arrest.

But the official, reportedly then Intelligence Service of AFP chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año, who is now the chief of staff of AFP, said he could not come to Marcelino’s rescue because the latter did not have a valid mission order for his supposed intelligence operation in the seized shabu laboratory.

The Manila court has already ordered the arrest of Marcelino and Yan last week. It is set to hear their appeal today.