PDEA sacks Crame detention guards

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) officials ordered yesterday the relief of two police officers performing guard duties when a detained Chinese drug trafficker escaped from his cell at Camp Crame last Sunday.

PDEA Director Anselmo Avenido also directed Inspector Rolando Cana, officer-in-charge of the PDEA detention cell of the defunct Narcotics Group’s Operational Support Service Office, to explain why he should not be reprimanded for allowing the escape of drug trafficking suspect Henry Tan.

The move came after Avenido submitted an explanation letter to President Arroyo, in connection with Tan’s escape.

PO3 Armando Ibasco and SPO4 Pedro Dortolero, who were designated jail warden and jail guard, repectively during the escape, are now the subject of an investigation.

Superintendent Lian Sarmiento, PDEA chief for operations, said the PDEA alerted the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) to place Tan on its watchlist. The PDEA also sought for the issuance of a hold departure order against the suspect.

Sarmiento said a team has been formed to re-arrest Tan before he flees abroad.

"The team is now conducting operations for his re-capture. I am confident that he has not left the country," he said.

PDEA officials failed to explain how Tan was able to saw off the window grill of a PDEA detention cell without being noticed by the police guard.

After he got out of his cell, Tan scaled a 12-feet perimeter fence of the PNP headquarters and fled to heavily-populated Barangay West Crame.

Tan shared detention cell with two other Chinese drug suspects, Cai Hong Ze alias Edwin Chua and William Chua. The two did not join him in the escape.

Tan, Cai and Chua were arrested in an anti-drug operation in Zambales last November. Some 350 kilos of shabu were confiscated from the suspects.

Records from the PDEA showed that there are a total of 11 detainees, majority of whom are Chinese nationals, now under PDEA custody. They are all awaiting proper commitment orders from local courts.

In his letter to the President, Avenido also sought the immediate issuance of commitment orders to prevent the repeat of a similar incident.

The PDEA also asked a Quezon City judge to issue a warrant of arrest against Tan.