PDEA: Alabang boys could be part of a big syndicate

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is hoping to squeeze a bigger fish in the illegal drug trade in the country out of the three high-profile drug trafficking suspects arrested during operations in September and who had been accused of bribing prosecutors for their release.

PDEA officials said they are looking into an intelligence report that drug suspects Richard Brodett, Joseph Tecson and Jorge Joseph were connected with the dreaded group known as “Valle Verde Boys” which supply illegal drugs in Baguio City and Metro Manila.

“Our operation has not yet ended. There are more people that would be arrested. Malaking sindikato ito (This is a big syndicate),” PDEA director general Dionisio Santiago told to The STAR. He said their target is so big and organized that it even operates abroad. The camp of Brodett and company dismissed this PDEA report as another baseless allegation.

The drug suspects’ lawyer, Jacky Verano, believes the supposed intelligence report linking her clients to a big drug syndicate could be part of a tactic of PDEA to try to disprove the illegal arrest of the suspects.

“I have no knowledge of that. This is the first time I am hearing this. PDEA is making a big stink about a small incident to cover up their shortcomings. They have not caught any ‘big fish’ so to make up for that, they are blowing this out of proportion,” she said in a text message to The STAR when asked for reaction.

This developed as Santiago tapped their lawyers to ask Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to review the recommendation of state prosecutors junking the complaint against the three arrested drug suspects.

“We want the case reviewed by Secretary Gonzalez. We believe the complaint filed by our lawyers was strong that’s why we were surprised why prosecutors junked it. Actually, we were expecting the case was already set to be filed with the court,” the PDEA chief lamented.

Relatives of Brodett and the two others were accused of bribing prosecutors at the DOJ supposedly to secure their release before Christmas.

Their lawyers had already denied the allegation, arguing that the dismissal of the complaint was because of their strong defense. Still, Gonzalez ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the alleged P50-million bribery of prosecutors at the DOJ and officers of PDEA to secure the release of the high-profile drug trafficking suspects – a story that first came out in The STAR.

An exclusive story of The STAR bared efforts of families of drug suspects Brodett, Tecson and Joseph to secure their release before Christmas. A reliable source alleged that P50-million exchanged hands to expedite the release of the three. It was also reported last month that the suspects allegedly tried to bribe arresting PDEA officials with P20 million for their release.

The drug suspects were arrested during buy-bust and follow-up anti-drug operations in Ayala Alabang and Araneta Center respectively by the PDEA Special Enforcement Service on Sept. 20.

Closed door meet

Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Vicente Sotto III and Santiago held a closed door meeting with President Arroyo at the provincial capitol in La Union yesterday after the Rizal Day rites to tackle matters on both cases. “We’ll try to look into the matter and thresh out everything. As far as we are concerned, we did everything by the book, in legal process,” Sotto told reporters referring to both cases. La Union Bishop Artemio Rillera also joined the private meeting but no development yet has come out as of press time.

For his part, Major Ferdinand Marcelino, head of PDEA’s Special Enforcement Service, said the alleged P50 million bribes to a DOJ official made by associates of the suspects, Brodett, Jorge Joseph and Tecson, to have them released from detention was not confirmed.

On the dismissal of the shabu laboratory case, Sotto said they will check the record of the case because the clergy, led by Rillera, and concerned residents are asking why the appointed DOJ prosecutors easily junked the case.

On Nov. 12, the DOJ appointed prosecutors dismissed the case due to lack of evidence in spite of the presence of six truck loads of chemicals seized during the raid and the testimony of Dante Palaganas, the shabu lab caretaker, implicating several policemen.

Gonzales has ordered on Nov. 4 the transfer of the case to another panel of prosecutors.

The President has directed Sotto to keep in custody the “Alabang Boys” while the justice department continue its investigation into the alleged P50-million bribe attempt to release the scions of rich families caught peddling drugs.

“She (GMA) told me that she has instructed Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales not to release the three (Alabang Boys), especially in light of bribery allegation and this must have thorough investigation,” said Sotto following a closed-door meeting with the President in San Fernando, La Union.

Sotto said the President has likewise directed the DOJ to order the NBI to conduct an investigation on the bribery issue while directing the PDEA to file appropriate charges against those who made the bribe attempts.

In an interview over DYFM Bombo Radyo-Iloilo yesterday morning, the Justice secretary said that the NBI will ask the reporter, whom he did not identify, to name the source of the news that drug suspects Tecson, and Brodette offered P50 million to prosecutors for their release.

But the investigation into the controversy will begin only after the long holiday break, Gonzalez said. – With Paolo Romero, Jun Elias, Ronilo Pamonag