MANILA, Philippines — A Manila court has issued a travel ban on 30 police officers, including two generals, for allegedly mishandling a P6.7-billion shabu haul in Tondo, Manila in October 2022.
The Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 44 directed the Bureau of Immigration to place the police officers in the hold-departure list.
In issuing the hold-departure order (HDO), the court granted the motion of the prosecution, citing the “probability that the defendants will leave the Philippines to evade arrest and prosecution.”
The two Philippine National Police generals implicated in the case are retired Lt. Gen. Benjamin Santos Jr., former PNP deputy chief for operations, and former Drug Enforcement Group director Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo.
One of them has left the Philippines, the PNP announced on Monday.
Also included in the HDO is dismissed intelligence officer M/Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr., tagged as the principal suspect in the bungled drug operation.
Mayo has been detained at the Metro Manila District Jail since December 2022.
Excluding Mayo, the Manila RTC Branches 175 and 44 ordered the arrest of the 29 police officials and personnel. The bail was set at P200,000 each.
They were charged with planting of evidence and delay in the prosecution of the cases under Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
The defendants were indicted for the staged arrest of Mayo and Ney Saligumba Atadero following the purported anti-narcotics operation.
Santos has been cleared by the Manila RTC Branch 175 for lack of evidence.