Mulcting illegal drug suspects

EDITORIAL

The alleged practice of anti-narcotics agents and police of mulcting money from arrested illegal drug suspects was brought to national prominence with the recent arrest of many members of the Criminal Investigation Detection Group in Pampanga. 

A “Baguio boy” and former director of Cordillera police -- Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong, now new CIDG director  personally led  Monday a raid of the CIDG’s provincial office in Pampanga arresting its chief and six of his men for alleged criminal activities known as “Agaw Bato.”

Arrested were Chief Insp. Bienvenido Reydado, head of Pampanga Criminal Investigation and Detection Team (CIDT), and six of his deputized CIDT agents, who yielded a cache of loose firearms and P2.6 million cash.

The civilian agents were identified as Adriano Laureta, Arnold Sanggalang, Eric Reydado, PedritoTadeo, Alberto Reydado and Edwardson Sisracon.

“The most important here is that we ourselves are acting on rogue elements of the CIDG,” said Magalong who vowed not to tolerate wrongdoings in their ranks.

He said Reydado’s team was allegedly engaged in a scheme in which they arrest bigtime drug suspects, seize their supply of drugs and then keep them in a safehouse until the syndicate comes up with a considerable amount in exchange for setting them free.

Magalong said they have long receiving reports about this modus operandi of Pampanga CIDG operatives, dubbed as “Agaw Bato.”

Based on the intelligence reports that became basis for the raid, the group of Reydado would target foreign drug traffickers operating in Pampanga and nearby areas.

“In some cases, they were also monitored to have conducted their illegal activities in Metro Manila,” said Magalong.

Once Reydado has control of the drugs, his civilian agents are allegedly the ones who puts out the drugs in the underground market.

This resulted in the relief of Senior Supt. Vic Valencia, CIDG Regional Officer for Central Luzon, for command responsibility.