By AARON B. RECUENCO, with reports from Jonathan Hicap, Jean Fernando
Government agents seized yesterday a kilo of shabu worth around P5 million from a condominium unit in Muntinlupa City, reportedly owned by alleged drug syndicate leader Li Hong Peng who was previously arrested in an anti-drug operation but later released on bail.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said Li, who is classified as a leader of a dug syndicate, was already arrested in January 2012 in San Juan City after he and his common-law wife Aina Sale Laquire yielded some 20 kilograms of shabu.
But a court in San Juan City where the case was filed allowed Li and Laquire to post bail.
Last year, Li was again arrested in Paranaque City but was likewise allowed to go.
Li’s condominium unit at Rhapsody Residences on East Service Road in Buli, Muntinlupa City, was the subject of a search warrant in yesterday’s operation conducted by members of the PNP-Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and Muntinlupa City Police.
The operation resulted in the confiscation of a kilo of shabu placed in four plastic packs amounting to P5 million, two cellular phones and assorted documents; but Li was not around.
Following yesterday’s raid, the PNP sought the assistance of President Duterte on cases involving high-value targets who are allowed to post bail despite yielding kilos of shabu in drug busts.
Based on the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, a mere possession of 10 grams of shabu is already a non-bailable offense but in the case of Li Hong Peng, he was once collared for possessing 20 kilograms of shabu but later monitored to have been walking out of his detention cell.
PDEG director Chief Supt. Albert Ignatius Ferro said they have already informed the President about Li when the latter’s name surfaced anew during the intelligence-gathering that led to two buy-busts in Alabang and Makati in March this year.
“The President is already looking into this. In a few days time, we will be informed,” said Ferro.
What they are particularly dismayed of, according to Ferro, was how a judge would allow a suspected drug lord to walk free despite a huge volume of illegal drugs seized.
“Actually, we are trying to conduct further investigation to account the judge who allowed bail for such a non-bailable offense,” said Ferro.
For several years, the PNP and other drug enforcement agencies have been suffering from less than 10 percent conviction rate in drug cases that they would file.
This led to a massive crackdown on erring cops after it was found out that some arresting cops would deliberately skip court hearings in exchange for huge sum of money to ensure the dismissal of the cases.
Some cases were also dismissed for technicalities due to sloppy preparation of charges.
Just recently, the case against Kerwin Espinosa and two other alleged drugs lords were dismissed by a panel of Department of Justice prosecutors despite admission of Kerwin of his involvement in illegal drugs trade during a Senate probe.
REMEDY
As such, PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde has ordered his men to ensure an airtight case against drug suspects in order to deny their lawyers of a loophole that could be exploited in favor of their clients.
“We have to make our cases airtight. In any cases in a buy-bust operation, it is true that there are some technicalities that can be used. So it’s really very important that when we file a case it should be airtight,” said Albayalde.
Duterte has earlier lashed out at the judiciary, even disclosing that there some judges in his list of government workers involved in drug trade.