(Eagle News) — A report which President Rodrigo Duterte ordered declassified implicated current and former officials of the Philippine National Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Customs to the illegal drug trade.
Among those linked to drug-related activities were former PDEA deputy director general for administration Ismael Fajardo Jr., former head of the PNP’s now-defunct Anti-Illegal Drugs Group ex-Sr. Supt. Eduardo Acierto, and Bureau of Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban.
According to the report, Fajardo, who was fired by PDEA chief Aaron Aquino in September, “is branded as a recycler of drugs and fabricator of stories and is “tangled with several incidents of drug recycling and other illegal activities involving drugs.”
The report said Fajardo was linked to drug operations in Valenzuela in January 12, 2016, and the Binondo drug raid in January 15, 2016.
Fajardo was also linked to the arrest of Marine Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino for his alleged involvement in illegal drug activities.
Marcelino and a Chinese interpreter were eventually cleared by a court.
“Fajardo and his group concocted stories to vilify Marcelino and make a very big accomplishment out of his arrest. Contrary to their scripted stories given to the media, that operatives were surprised to see Marcelino inside the house comfortably sitting in a sofa, Fajardo and his group were already going in and out of the said house since January 2016, days even before the issuance of the search warrant,” the report said.
As for Acierto, who was dismissed for his alleged involvement in the procurement of AK-47 rifles that ended up in the hands of New People’s Army rebels, the report said he is known for “amassing wealth by recycling drugs,” and for extorting money from apprehended suspects, especially Chinese.
“Together with Fajardo, Acierto has maintained connections with various narcotics financiers and manufacturers inside and outside the country, including those Chinese nationals who are incarcarated in different penitentiaries,” the report said.
According to the report, “Guban’s style is to try to impresss his boss/superior by providing accomplishments.”
It said Guban “would present himself as a team player, raiding warehouses full of fireworks and ukay-ukay.”
“His modus was to arrange with the owners the raid of their warehouses. The arrangement is for the owners to remove 75 percent or their goods, and leave the 25 percent to be caught by the BOC officials and shown off for media mileage. By doing these, he could both look good to his superior while at the same time forwarding his own agenda with the warehouse owners,” the report said.
The report ordered a lifestyle check into several of the personalities it mentioned.
Apart from Guban, Fajardo and Acierto, the report linked to the illegal drugs trade former Senior Supt. Leonardo Suan; Police Supt. Lorenzo Bacia; Police Inspectors Lito Pirote and Conrado Caragdag; and Senior Police Officer 4 Alejandro Gerardo Liwanag.
