Taguig mayor supports ‘drug recycling’ probe

MANILA, Philippines - Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano threw her full support yesterday behind an investigation by the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) of allegations that city police chief Senior Superintendent Tomas Apolinario Jr. and his men are recycling confiscated illegal drugs in the city.

“If it is proven that the allegations are true, then let’s punish the guilty. But if the allegations are proven wrong, we should be quick as well to exonerate the innocent,” she said in a statement.

Police Officer 3 Alexander Saez, a former member of the Station Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force of the Taguig City police, claimed Apolinario and nine SAIDSOTF operatives conducted anti-drug operations outside their jurisdiction and sold the seized illegal drugs to pushers in the city.

NCRPO chief Director Leonardo Espina has relieved Apolinario and the nine SAIDSOTF personnel but ordered Saez, who said he was part of the group’s alleged activities, investigated.

Cayetano urged Espina to expand the probe to include personalities behind the illegal drug trade in Taguig and to find out why the case against them were all dropped or dismissed.

Cayetano said seven persons surnamed Tiñga – Elisa, Hector, Bernardo, Fernando, Allan Carlos, Alberto and Joel – have been arrested on drug charges since 1996. Elisa Tiñga was reportedly the third most wanted alleged drug dealer in the city, she said.

Cayetano did not say whether these seven persons are related to her rival, defeated mayoral candidate Dante Tiñga.