‘Corinthian Boys’ charged

The alleged leader of the so-called Corinthian Boys and a companion have been charged with illegal transportation, possession and selling of the prohibited drug Ecstasy at the Quezon City prosecutor’s office.

Prosecutor Dindo Venturina recommended no bail for gang leader Jerome Magno, 32, and Paulo de Asis, 25, both of Corinthian Gardens in Quezon City.

Magno and De Asis are temporarily detained at the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig since Venturina failed to issue a commitment order for them.

Superintendent Nicolas Gregorio, head of the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) of the NCRPO, said they failed to file similar charges against other members of the group — Robert Amado Ruiz, Demetrio Bautista and Ronald Vasquez — since no prosecutor showed up in San Juan and Makati City after the government declared Wednesday a holiday because of the heavy rains. Charges are set to be filed against the trio today.

Magno admitted being the source of 472 Ecstasy pills with a street value of P708,000, which were confiscated from the suspects during separate operations earlier this week.

Magno said the pills were shipped into the country from the Netherlands.

The suspect said he sells Ecstasy for P1,500, earning a profit of P500 per pill.

A source said a former Philippine Constabulary official called up Metro police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco and tried to intercede for the release of Magno, a close relative, but was politely turned down.

Velasco, however, allowed the retired official and other relatives of the suspects to visit them in the detention center at NCRPO headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa.

Superintendent Miguel Laurel, NCRPO intelligence chief, said the five suspects promised to cooperate in the neutralization of other syndicates involved in the selling of Ecstasy not only in Metro Manila but also in the provinces.

"It seems that dealers have spread their tentacles in Metro Manila and the provinces," Laurel said, in an interview. "We expect more arrests in due time."

Laurel said those arrested called themselves "Corinthian Boys" because they all live in the posh subdivision in Quezon City.

Gregorio told The Star he would be forming crack teams to assess and act on the information provided them by Magno and his cohorts during their tactical interrogation.