Four cops tagged in PDEA shabu theft

Four policemen, two of them colonels, and two security guards were found to be behind the theft of seven kilos of shabu worth P35 million from the evidence room of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) headquarters in Quezon City last month.

PDEA arrested four of the suspects, identified as Superintendent Jerome Mutia, former deputy chief of the PDEA Special Enforcement Service; Inspector Jofredo Padillo, formerly with the PDEA Laboratory Service; Jean Granada and Oliver Fernandez, both civilian guards assigned to PDEA.

PDEA chief Director General Dionisio Santiago said two other suspects — Superintendent Gustavo Torres and his driver, former PO1 Pedro Avelino — are now the subject of a manhunt.

Mutia was arrested last Monday afternoon at a mall in Fairview, Quezon City as he was about to deliver 125 grams of shabu to a prospective buyer. Arresting officers recovered the shabu, which was allegedly part of the illegal drugs stolen from the PDEA evidence room last Aug. 21.

Mutia denied the accusations.

Santiago noted that the breakthrough came after the two security guards broke down and admitted their participation in the stealing of the shabu from the annex building of PDEA on NIA Northside Road in Barangay Pinyahan.

Granada and Fernandez claimed it was Mutia and Torres who planned the robbery. They were merely asked to sneak out the shabu from PDEA headquarters.

Santiago said he had placed Granada under surveillance because he was the duty guard at the time of the robbery. When investigators interrogated Granada, he admitted his participation in the robbery.

He said the two police officials met him and Fernandez in Cubao, where they revealed the plan to steal the shabu. The guards claimed they were promised P1 million each.

Granada said Mutia, Torres and Padillo entered the PDEA Laboratory Service office, where shabu were being kept. They used a bolt cutter to destroy three padlocks on the door leading to the evidence room.

"Dapat mas marami pang kukuning shabu pero nasira yung bolt cutter kaya seven kilos na lang and nakuha," Granada told investigators.

The guard said Mutia even used a pair of socks as gloves in handing the shabu to prevent leaving any prints on the cabinet.

The Philippine National Police-Crime Laboratory has been analyzing the fingerprints taken from the crime scene, but has yet to release the results of its findings.

The PDEA chief said the suspects used the gate at the southern part of the PDEA compound in sneaking out the shabu.

The guards claimed Torres and his driver met them at the corner of EDSA and NIA Road, where the shabu was transferred to Torres’ vehicle.

Torres took three kilos of shabu while Mutia took four.

With the information provided by Granada and Fernandez, PDEA agents arrested Padillo and conducted a surveillance operation on the other lawmen.

"We received a tip at about 5:30 p.m. last Monday that Mutia’s group was about to deliver 125 grams of shabu to a buyer in Fairview," Santiago said.

PDEA Assistant Secretary Baltazar Balangawan said the suspects should not be allowed to post bail. "Hindi ito dapat bailable. They are supposed to be the person in authority to watch over the evidence. Kakadiri sila," Balangawan said

The guards claimed they never got their P1 million share.

"After the robbery, ang gustong nilang (Mutia and Torres) ibigay sa amin ay shabu na lang dahil wala silang cash pero hindi kami pumayag. Binigyan nila kami ng P135,000 at pagkatapos noon ay barya-barya na lang."

Police said Fernandez hid his P60,000 share inside their barracks. PDEA later recovered the money.

The two said the suspects were planning to silence them, prompting their confession.