(Eagle News) – Visiting privileges of inmates nationwide, including their recreational activities such as having basketball games, were cancelled by Bureau of Corrections chief Directo General Nicanor Faeldon effective Tuesday, March 5.
This was after a prisoner was discovered making drug transactions through wifi connections inside the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa by the Cebu City police which traced to the NBP inmate the source of the 28 kilos of shabu valued at P190.4 million.
The illegal drugs were seized in two operations in Cebu City and in Consolacion, Cebu at dawn of Sunday, March 3,
The inmate, identified as Rustico Ygot, had been convicted for trafficking of illegal drugs, was detained inside the maximum security compound, but was able to gain access to the internet and contact his girlfriend Jocelyn Encila in Cebu City.
Ygot was making video calls to Encila on the sourcing and selling of illegal drugs, according to the Cebu City police.
-DOJ orders probe-
Because of this, the Department of Justice on Monday, March 4, ordered Bucor and the NBI to investigate the drug ring operations done inside the NBP using the internet.
After this order, on Tuesday, Faeldon ordered the cancellation of all privileges of inmates not only at the NBP, but also in the seven penal colonies nationwide.
The Bucor chief expressed dismay that leaders of prison inmates did not take seriously a previous agreement he had with them that they police their own ranks.
Earlier, Central Visayas police director Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas asked Faeldon to put Ygot in solitary confinement and confiscate his cell phones and gadgets.
Cebu City on Sunday interrogated Ygot’s girlfriend, Encila, her parents, Marcial and Marlyn, and a certain Elymar Tampo Ancajas, tagged as a high value target of Fatima Homes, Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City. The four were arrested in Cebu City following twin drug operations.
Police also seized Encila’s properties, including expensive vehicles —a Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Grandia and Nissan SR SUV — which were seized along with some 10 kilos of shabu from her house in Consolacion, Cebu.
Sinas said that Encila, who only sells halo-halo before her arrest, also reportedly owned two big houses with airconditioning units in the same subdivision.