PDEA credits suspected crime lord's arrest to slain tipster

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) officials yesterday gave credit to an informant “within the immediate circle” of crime gang leader Marvin Fajardo for his arrest Friday afternoon in Malvar town, Batangas for drug trafficking.

“It will be a long time, if ever, before the group can re-organize (with Fajardo’s recent arrest),” said PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago.

PDEA Region 4A director Chief Inspector Christopher Abrahano said the informant wanted to turn a new leaf and was recruited by the agency to finally bag the “well-connected” gang leader.

He said the informant was the key to the drug transaction that led to Fajardo’s fall, but was killed four days before Fajardo’s arrest by a fellow gang member who found out what he was up to.

Abrahano did not say how or where the informant was killed. “Somebody from the same group did it,” he said.

PDEA authorities acknowledged the informant’s effort had not been in vain.

Santiago also bared that the Fajardo Gang is composed of about 20 men but Fajardo reportedly has five men as a core group to “manage and direct” the activities of the other crime groups that engage in kidnapping, armed robbery, and extortion. Fajardo allegedly also maintains a gun-for-hire group.

Family business

Santiago said Fajardo’s alleged links to crime “runs in the family,” with two other Fajardos, allegedly relatives, are on the police order of battle for kidnapping and have a P1-million bounty on their heads.

Santiago said Fajardo’s father, Ruperto, a former military man, was already an inmate at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) when he was chief.

He said Ruperto was jailed for kidnapping and served 21 years in jail before he was released in December last year.

The younger Fajardo also has an outstanding arrest warrant for kidnapping in Biñan, Laguna when he was arrested Friday, said Abrahano.

Santiago said Fajardo, with his lawyers, is expected to use various reasons – including hospital arrest for a health condition – just to keep from being detained in the city jail.

“We don’t want to speculate on his actual health situation. If he has an existing illness… we will get him examined (by government doctors),” said Santiago.

Santiago, in jest, said other suspects want to be jailed at the PDEA. “The others, they love it here. The jail is more sweet-smelling,” he said.