Suspected drug pusher names 2 Malabon cops as suppliers

MANILA, Philippines - Two Malabon City police officers were relieved from their post yesterday after a suspected drug pusher tagged them as his alleged suppliers.

Malabon City police chief Senior Superintendent Roberto Villanueva said Police Officers 2 Carlo Pineda and Wilfred Leonor were transferred to the Northern Police District (NPD) District Security and Services Group from the city police General Assignment Section (GAS).

Villanueva said suspect Orlando Santos, 49, was arrested in a buy-bust operation Saturday morning along Gov. Pascual street in Barangay Concecion and “implicated” the two policemen as his alleged sources of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu).

A team from the Station Anti-Illegal Drugs (SAID) Special Operation Task Group, led by Chief Inspector Arnel Dimalanta, confiscated from Santos 10 sachets of shabu with an estimated street value of around P10,000.

A SAID team was about to conduct an entrapment operation Saturday night “to determine the veracity of Santos’ allegation but (we were) burned out by a radio reporter” who announced the plan before it could be put into effect, Villanueva told The STAR.

Villanueva said Pineda and Leonor were formerly assigned to the SAID but were recently transferred to GAS on suspicion that they “coddled” pushers.

“Our efforts were wasted and we couldn’t file charges against the police officers for lack of evidence,” Villanueva said.

NPD director Chief Superintendent Eric Javier yesterday ordered a deeper investigation into Santos’ claims.

“If subsequent investigation showed probable cause then we will file appropriate charges against the two policemen,” Javier said.

The Malabon City police were set to file charges against Santos with the city prosecutor’s office yesterday.

Villanueva said he was trying to contact Pineda and Leonor through their mobile phones but received no response.