Drug busters out to unmask coddlers

A police anti-drug task force is determined to unmask the "coddlers" or "protectors" of Benito Sy, the head of three neutralized trans-national drug syndicates in the country.

This developed as the police filed yesterday before the Department of Justice (DOJ) possession of drug-making paraphernalia, equipment and chemicals against Sy, known as Benito Sze in the Chinese community, Benito Nolasco and a John Doe.

Though Sy has been tagged as the drug syndicate’s supplier of equipment and raw materials used for the manufacture of shabu, elements of the Camp Crame-based Anti-Drug Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF) strongly believes that he has "coddlers" in government.

Deputy Director General Edgar Aglipay, AID-SOTF head, admitted that efforts are underway to identify Sy’s coddlers and protectors, but claimed they have no concrete evidence yet.

"We are working on that angle but we have not identified anybody as yet," Aglipay told The Star.

According to Aglipay, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) also furnished him the list of possible coddlers and protectors of Sy. "We are cross-checking all of the reports filtering into our office, and we expect to come up with names soon," he said.

The STAR learned that AID-SOTF teams headed by Superintendents Federico Laciste Jr. and Nelson Yabut are zeroing in on the personalities that accompanied Sy when a 40-footer van was delivered at the compound housing a shabu laboratory in Talon 2, Las Piñas last June 17.

Witnesses told Yabut that Sy arrived at the warehouse with two Chinese men, who took turns in supervising the unloading of the cargo, which turned out later to be equipment and raw materials used to manufacture shabu. Sy and his two companions arrived on board a Mitsubishi Pajero, Isuzu Trooper and a Mitsubishi Adventure, witnesses said.

The AID-SOTF is also coordinating with Customs authorities to determine who authorized the immediate release of the 40-foot container, the contents of which were declared as sleeping mattresses.

"We are very sure that they have coddlers in high places," said Yabut, but declined to give a hint whether they were Customs, police officials or politicians.

Aglipay ordered a nationwide manhunt Thursday against Sy.

Yabut admitted Sy has proven to be quite elusive. He was earlier monitored to be staying at five-star hotels in Metro Manila or in posh subdivisions.

According to Yabut, Sy is a former associate of suspected drug lord Alfredo Tiongco. Sy, he said, was involved in the shipments of large quantities of shabu from China which were intercepted by law enforcement authorities.

"Sy parted ways with Tiongco when the latter felt the heat from authorities. He decided to operate clandestine shabu laboratories instead of sneaking shipments into the country because they cost less and are difficult to detect," Yabut said.

Tiongco was charged with drug trafficking, but the case was dismissed for insufficient evidence.

Yabut said they had no hard evidence against Sy until a shabu laboratory in Silang, Cavite was discovered last July 12. One of six arrested suspects in Cavite, a certain Wen Li, was an associate of Cai Huai, a chemist of the shabu laboratory in Pasig City which was raided in 2001, Yabut said.

He said they had been looking for Li until the Narcotics Group (Narcgroup) was dismantled and their men assigned to various units of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

However, when they were recruited into AID-SOTF, they revived their operation against Li, who was eventually caught in Cavite.

Among the evidence submitted by Laciste in filing charges against Sy, Nolasco and a John Doe were pictures taken at the shabu laboratory and an inventory report of confiscated equipment and raw materials used in the manufacture of shabu, along with the police raiders counter-affidavits.