NBI expands probe on Ozamiz gang

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is expanding its probe to cover the circumstances behind the arrest of suspected Chinese drug lord Jackson Dy and his wife and the killing of Ozamiz gang leaders by their police escorts, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday.

“We have reason to believe, based on credible sources, that they (Ozamiz gang and Jackson Dy) were related,” she said.

Sources revealed Dy and Ozamiz gang leader Ricky Cadavero had been working closely in illegal drugs.

A police official pointed out Dy and his wife were rescued by Cadavero and his group while on their way to attend a court hearing in Cavite last March.

The official said Cadavero and his companion Wilfredo Panogalinga were arrested Friday last week by the Calabarzon and Cavite policemen while on their way to redeem a vehicle they had repaired in Cavite.

A day before, Cavite policemen stormed the group’s safehouse and arrested four gang members.

The raid was conducted following reports that the gang was planning to rob a bank in Dasmariñas City.

Cadavero and Panogalinga managed to escape during the raid but were cornered by lawmen the following day.

Sources said the policemen who caught Cadavero forced him to meet Dy somewhere in Manila last Saturday.

However, before the meeting could materialize, the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested Dy and his wife, Wang Li Na, in San Juan City on Saturday.

A witness now under the custody of the NBI said the raiders recovered two sacks full of shabu and cash inside Dy’s rented apartment.

The police raiders kept the seized evidence under wraps, the witness said.

The Cavite police strongly believed that someone learned about the meeting between Cadavero and Dy and the arrest of the suspected Chinese drug lord was to prevent them from revealing their protectors.

Cadavero and Panogalinga were killed Monday in San Pedro, Laguna in an alleged attempt by their gang members to rescue them.

“The investigators should expand their investigation on the killing of Cadavero and Kulot (Panogalinga) to include the arrest of Dy and I’m very sure that they would uncover the group’s police protectors,” the source said.

Drugs and cash

De Lima, on the other hand, said she was able to talk to two witnesses who claimed that operatives of the CIDG took the drugs and cash from the couple but these were not presented to the media.

She said the NBI has the license plate number of the vehicle where the bag containing the drugs and cash was kept.

One of the witnesses, according to a report by ABS-CBN, saw how policemen took turns in hauling the money and drugs to the vehicle.

The witness said one policeman handled bundles of money, which he estimated to reach up to P15 million to P20 million.

De Lima stressed the need to look into the allegations against the CIDG.

“This is important, explosive and alarming information; I don’t see any motive why such witnesses would lie,” De Lima said.

“The biggest question here is: why did CIDG not report the seized cash and drugs and why were they not accounted? Those are supposed to be evidence, but where are they?”

The CIDG had relieved 19 of its personnel involved in the arrest of Dy.

CIDG director Chief Superintendent Francisco Uyami Jr. said the relief of the 19 would allow the fair and impartial investigation on the allegations that the lawmen took the drugs and money from Dy during the arrest.

Four of the 19 CIDG agents who were relieved were identified as team leader Senior Superintendent Jose Mario Espino, Superintendent Romeo Albert Baleros, Senior Inspector Julius Garcia and Senior Inspector Elmer Ducabo.

They denied taking the cash and drugs during the arrest of Dy, saying they took only clothes and some candies from the couple during the arrest.

Dy, for his part, denied having drugs and money in his possession when he was arrested with his wife.

Uyami, on the other hand, did not comment on the allegations.

He also questioned how a witness managed to get inside the rented apartment of Dy when policemen cordoned off the area during the raid.

“All the CIDG raiders are all accounted for, and no one among them made the allegation. We are also wondering how this witness got inside the apartment when even the perimeter area was heavily guarded by police officers and no civilian could have had entered the area without the permission of the officers,” he said.

Two hours after the arrest of the couple, Uyami said he arrived at the rented apartment and the first thing he asked was if there were drugs seized.

He said the leader of the raiding team told him there was none.

Uyami said the CIDG is open to any investigation in an effort to find out the truth.

“We are willing to undergo investigation so that we are going to determine the truth on the allegation of the witness,” he said. –  Cecille Suerte Felipe, Ed Amoroso, Perseus Echeminada