Drug rings’ P100-M assets identified

The government has identified some P100 million assets and properties of transnational drug syndicates headed by Jackson Dy and Benito Sy, police said yesterday.

Top drug buster Deputy Director General Edgar Aglipay said the country’s Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) is spearheading seizure and forfeiture proceedings against the syndicates’ assets and properties.

"We initially identified some P100 million of the drug syndicates’ assets and properties and this figure will rise while we are digging deeper into their illegal operations," Aglipay told The Star.

According to Aglipay, Superintendent Nelson Yabut, one of the team leaders of the Anti-Drug Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF) is coordinating with the AMLC for the speedy seizure of the said assets and properties.

Yabut said among the evidence they submitted to the AMLC include the bankbooks of Dy, his wife Wang Li Na and other arrested members of the drug syndicates.

"The AMLC is excited because this will be the first time they have in their hands bank accounts and properties which they intend to freeze and forfeit in favor of the government," said Aglipay.

Aglipay earlier said they have records to show that Dy owned the three-story residential lot in Tanza, Cavite; the townhouses in Lancaster St., F. B. Harrison, Pasay City; a condo unit at Marina BayHomes in Parañaque City; a yacht; two Jet ski’s; a pump boat; a luxury car, a Jaguar, and other properties.

The AID-SOTF chief added that they also are initiating the seizure and forfeiture of Sy’s assets and properties which he refused to reveal pending ongoing accounting.

While Dy, whose real name is Li Lan Yan, is already under the custody of the government, Sy, who is known as Benito Sze in the Chinese community, remains at large.

"We have a continuing effort to arrest Sy," said Aglipay, as he appealed to the Chinese community for help in having Sy arrested.

Yabut said they received information that Sy is being coddled by the Chinese community in Binondo though he did not elaborate.

"We are encouraging every peace loving Filipino to report the presence of Sy, especially those in the Chinese community, so the drug syndicate leader would be thrown behind bars," said Aglipay.

A team headed by Yabut, checked the reported presence of Sy in South Cotabato, General Santos City, Davao City and Roxas City the past few days but they went home empty-handed.

Yabut said Sy stayed in Surallah town in South Cotabato, where he is maintaining a farm, for three months since April. But he disappeared after AID-SOTF linked him to the shabu laboratory in Silang, Cavite and the warehouses in Las Pinas City, Parañaque City and Quezon City last July.

"The last time he was sighted in Surallah was in mid-July before he went underground," said Yabut.

Aglipay expressed strong belief that Sy is still in the country.

"He is still in the country. That is why we are seeking the help of everybody to speed up his and his cohorts arrest," said Aglipay.

The AID-SOTF chief claimed that information may be relayed to his cellular phone number 09178131310 anytime.

He gave assurance that all information that would be reported to his office would be treated with utmost confidentiality.