Suspected carjackers turn to illegal drug trade

MANILA, Philippines - Seven alleged members of the “Onad Santiago” carjack gang were arrested after they tried their hand at trading in illegal drugs, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said yesterday.

PDEA director general Jose Gutierrez said Joel de la Cruz, 39; Eligio Pimintel, 36; Roberto Oledan, 24; Teodoro Nerpido, 39; Danilo Mejidana, 19; Eric John Pastrana, 28; and Rogelio Bello, 32, were nabbed in a drug bust in Biñan, Laguna on Dec. 7. 

The agents seized an assault rifle, two .45 caliber handguns and 30 grams of shabu from the suspects. Their alleged suppliers – Josephine Roxas, 35; and her partner, Nicolas Cuadra, 59 – were arrested the next day in a parking lot of a resort in Metro Manila after selling a kilo of shabu to an undercover agent.

“During the course of our surveillance operations, we discovered that Roxas is one of the dealers supplying the Onad Group with illegal drugs,” Gutierrez said.

He said while the suspected carjackers can usually post bail for car theft charges, they now face non-bailable offenses. According to Gutierrez, the group’s alleged leader, Ronald Santiago, remains at large.

The PDEA chief said the group has apparently shifted to the illegal drugs trade following a government crackdown on car theft and carjacking groups.