Estrada fires head of cops in drug ring

President Estrada fired yesterday the director of the Philippine National Police Maritime Group following the arrest of three of the unit's officers last Saturday for drug trafficking in Ilocos Sur.

In an interview with reporters at Camp Crame, the President said he relieved Senior Superintendent Rogelio Regalado of his post for command responsibility.

Last Saturday, agents of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force arrested PNP Maritime Group officers Chief Inspector Rey Arcangel, SPO4 Victorio Malabed Jr., and SPO3 William Villanueva for possessing 125 kilos (not 124 as earlier reported) of high-grade shabu worth some P249 million. The suspects were presented to Crame reporters yesterday.

Reports said that the three policemen, along with Pelagio Manuel and his daughter Jocelyn, both of Batac, Ilocos Sur, were aboard a Mitsubishi L-300 van with plate number PKU-384 when they were intercepted by the task force team along the national highway in Poblacion, San Juan, Ilocos Sur at about 9 a.m.

An inspection of the van uncovered the 125 kilos of shabu, an M16 rifle, a 9 mm pistol and a caliber .45 pistol. Police said the suspects were attempting to bring the shabu to Metro Manila from Burgos, Ilocos Sur when they were arrested.

According to PNP chief director General Panfilo Lacson, the suspects and their Chinese contact, a certain Jimmy Lim chose the beach of Burgos as their drop-off point because of its lighthouse.

"They used the light house at Burgos as a reference for the boat which came from Mainland China," Lacson said.

Lacson said that prior to the operation, task force agents had received intelligence information from the Hong Kong Narcotics Bureau. Armed with the information, task force agents conducted two months of surveillance in Ilocos Sur.

Meanwhile, two Metro Manila-based Chinese businessmen have been identified as the consignees of the 125-kilo illegal drug shipment.

Ilocos Sur police director Supt. Joselito Uy Tan identified the consignees as Jimmy Lim of Tirona st., B.F. Homes, Parañaque and Sonny Ng, of Pilar Village, Las Piñas.

He disclosed that three teams of operatives from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force led by Supt. Dennis Agustin had been in Vigan town days before the Saturday operation. He said that the drug shipment landed in Burgos, Ilocos Norte last Thursday but the couriers took two days before transporting it to Manila.

"Nakiramdam muna sila bago lumuwas, (They monitored the situation first before leaving for Manila)," he said.