A dismissed police officer and two other suspects were caught red-handed in a predawn drug raid that yielded P340,000 worth of suspected shabu in Barangay Lumbia here on Tuesday, July 28.
Maj. Joann Navarro, Police Regional Office 10 (PRO-10) spokesperson, told the Inquirer on Wednesday that the officer had been dismissed in November last year after testing positive for drug use.
‘He immediately went AWOL. However, his case regarding the positive drug test continued, and his dismissal order from the service was issued earlier this year,’ she said.
Joint operatives from Police Station 8’s Anti-Illegal Drug Team (SAIDT), the City Mobile Force Company, and PDEA Regional Office 10 raided an abandoned house at around 4:32 a.m., arresting the buy-bust operation’s primary target, a 32-year-old identified as alias ‘Tams.’
Arrested alongside him were alias ‘James,’ the 35-year-old dismissed police officer, and alias ‘Apon,’ 35.
Authorities noted that ‘Tams’ and ‘James’ are first-time alleged criminal offenders, while ‘Apon’ is a second-time offender currently under probation.
Seized during the raid were eight sachets containing approximately 50 grams of suspected shabu, a .38 caliber revolver loaded with three live rounds, assorted drug paraphernalia, two motorcycles, a cellular phone, and the P1,000 buy-bust money.
The arrest reinforces PRO-10 director Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano’s declaration earlier this month that they are serious about internal cleansing and that police personnel caught involved in illegal drugs will face absolute dismissal from the service.
‘No one is above the law. This operation underscores that the law applies equally to everyone,’ Abrahano told the Inquirer.
The suspects are currently detained at Police Station 8 and face charges for allegedly violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Alias ‘James,’ the ex-police officer, will face an additional charge for alleged violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
PRO-10 vowed to maintain its relentless, intelligence-driven campaign against illegal drugs and criminality to uphold public safety across Northern Mindanao.