Company driver steals P1-M anti-hypertension drug

MANILA, Philippines - A man who had been working as a driver for a pharmaceutical and medical supplies firm for the past eight years was arrested Saturday for allegedly stealing more than P1 million worth of an anti-hypertension drug, hydralazine hydrochloride.

Bonnie Maniego, 26, was nabbed in an apartment in Project 4 based on the complaint of his boss, Ricardo Castillo, said Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Senior Superintendent Richard Albano.

Inspector Alan dela Cruz, head of the Theft and Robbery Investigation Section of the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), said the driver, who also worked as sales clerk for Castillo, allegedly stole the drugs with the help of a friend, Ramon Almadin.

Dela Cruz said Castillo discovered on Saturday morning the loss of three boxes containing 7,200 pieces of hydralazine hydrochloride at his house in Project 4. He then confronted his helper, Jojie Gargar, who claimed she saw Maniego and Almadin load the items into a Toyota Grandia van on Friday afternoon.

Chief Inspector Rodel Marcelo, head of the CIDU, said a team first went to Avenida in Manila then to Capas, Tarlac to look for Maniego. The suspect’s neighbors in the province said he had left for Manila.

Policemen chanced upon the suspect when they went to his rented room in Project 4. They also recovered 5,030 pieces of the hypertension medicine worth P729,350 and the Toyota Grandia.

Dela Cruz said Maniego faces a qualified theft charge while Almadin, who remains at large, will be charged with theft.