The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has maintained its position of not making any statement regarding the misencounter between its agents and the Philippine National Police (PNP) operatives in what was supposed to be a buy-bust operation last February 24 in a mall in Quezon City.
PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon emphasized that PDEA’s stance will remain until the conclusion of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe despite accusations that its agents might have been involved in the illegal “sell-bust’’ operation during the incident.
PDEA Director-General Wilkins Villanueva, however, vehemently denied that notion.
On March 2, a fuming Villanueva vowed to resign immediately if evidence specifically through close-circuit television (CCTV) footage points to his agents selling drugs to the police during the botched operation at the mall’s compound in Commonwealth Avenue.
Stressing that sell-busts or posing to sell illegal drugs to arrest drug suspects are illegal, Villanueva said that PDEA’s critics should first show proof that his agents were indeed selling drugs to the police before making such statements. (Chito Chavez)
