Thirty-four sachets of suspected shabu were confiscated during a buy-bust operation Tuesday in the house of a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) officer at Poblacion Ilawod, Sara, Iloilo.

But the raid’s targets, Jail Officer 1 (JO1) Kenneth Puerto and his wife Mary Tina, were not present during the operation, so, the members of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) Special Operations Group arrested their househelp, Cherry Ann Lasconia instead.

They also found marked money, cash of P14,000, mobile phone, three ammunition of caliber 45 pistol, and shabu paraphernalia.

IPPO director Senior Supt. Gil Lebin is not discounting the possibility that Puerto has something to do with the reported illegal drug activities at the BJMP District Jail in Brgy. Ungka, Jaro, Iloilo City, where he is assigned.

Meanwhile, SJO2 Leo Lacerna, BJMP investigation chief, said that they will leave the criminal investigation to the arresting police officers.

“But we will also conduct our own investigation relative to his administrative culpability,” he said. 

The BJMP investigator confirmed that there was no prior report of Puerto’s involvement in illegal drugs in his three years of service as BJMP personnel.

DISMISSAL

Meanwhile, hief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz, Jr., Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 director, ordered the immediate conduct of a summary dismissal proceeding against a neophyte policeman arrested during January 9’s buy bust operation.

Cruz said that the case of Police Officer 1 (PO2) Marlon Roque should be a reminder that illegal activities, more so if it is done by law enforcers, will not be tolerated. 

“Noon pa man ay naniniwala po tayo na dapat mas mabigat na parusa ang ipapatong sa mga pulis na nasasangkot sa krimen o illegal na gawain (Ever since we have the conviction that stricter penalty should be imposed upon police officers involved in crimes or illegal activities),” he stressed.

Cruz, however, quickly pointed out that police officers, like other suspects, should also be accorded with due process.

“The right to due process of every suspect should not be violated,” he said.

Roque was arrested with his brother in a drug buy bust operation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 6 at in Barangay Pala-Pala, Iloilo City Proper.

Atty. Ronnie Delicana, PDEA-6 director, said that Dexter was their actual subject but Marlon, 32, assigned at the Iloilo City Police Station 5, was also in their house during the buy-bust operation.

The marked money used to buy two elongated plastic sachets of ‘shabu’ from Dexter was recovered from Marlon.

The Roque siblings are still in the custody of PDEA-6 pending the filing of a case against them for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

Cruz clarified that, aside from a criminal case, Marlon will also face an administrative case for grave misconduct, the highest penalty of which is dismissal from the police service.*