Malacanang has offered a P10-million reward for any information that could lead to the arrest of wanted dismissed Police Col. Eduardo Acierto, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra announced yesterday.
“P10-million bounty confirmed,” the Justice Secretary said.
Guevarra said he does not know where Malacanang will source the bounty. “I’m not privy to where it will be sourced. The amount is certainly much larger than what the Department of Justice could offer,” he said.
Guevarra renewed warnings that jail awaits those coddling Acierto and any of his co-accused.
“We’ll have them arrested wherever Acierto may be found hiding and brought to inquest immediately,” he said.
Acierto remains elusive in spite of the arrest warrant issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 35 against the former police officer and seven others.
The court issued the arrest warrants after the DoJ filed charges of drug importation in violation of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Aside from Acierto, also charged were former Bureau of Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban; former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Deputy Director for Administration Ismael Fajardo; Chan Yee Wah; Zhou Quan, also known as “Zhang Quan”; Emily Luquingan; and consignees Vedasto Cabral Baraquel Jr. and his wife Maria Lagrimas Catipan of Vecaba Trading.
The case concerns the 2018 smuggling of billions of pesos worth of shabu using magnetic lifters. (Jeffrey Damicog)
