BOCAUE, Bulacan — The
police chief of this town is now in jail after he was arrested here last week
for alleged extortion.
Supt. Juwen de la Cruz
was collared in an entrapment in his office at
12:07 a.m. by personnel of the Philippine National
Police-Counter-Intelligence Task Force led by Supt. Joel Estaris.
De la Cruz reportedly
yielded two motorcycles, a Mitsubishi Montero, a Toyota Wigo and a Toyota Vios.
Senior Supt. Romeo
Caramat Jr., CITF director, said the operation was conducted in response to a
complaint of the brother of a drug suspect, who was arrested on Sept. 5.
De la Cruz reportedly
demanded an iPhone X in exchange for the release of a Mitsubishi Montero seized
from the suspect during a drug raid.
The drug suspect claimed
De la Cruz had used the sport utility vehicle not only in police operations but
also for personal reasons.
De la Cruz also
allegedly took the motorcycle, shoes and other personal belongings of the drug
suspect.
Caramat said De la Cruz
had been under surveillance for two months.
Police said they also
received reports that De la Cruz seized the vehicles and personal belongings of
several other arrested drug suspects in exchange for their release.
These vehicles and
personal effects were reportedly not included on the list of items seized in
drug raids.
“I don’t know what
happened to him, why he ended up that way,” Caramat said of De la Cruz.
Caramat admitted
that during his stint as Bulacan police director, he was close to De la Cruz.
De la Cruz is facing
robbery and extortion charges and possible dismissal from the service for grave
misconduct.
PNP chief Director
General Oscar Albayalde said the arrest of De la Cruz should serve as a warning
to police officers involved in criminal activities.
“Just like the war on
drugs, the PNP internal cleansing program will be relentless and chilling...
Let this be another stern warning to those who by their misdeeds continue to
mock the professionalism and integrity expected of each police officer,”
Albayalde said in a statement. – With reports from Ramon Efren Lazaro and
Emmanuel Tupas
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