Police seize shabu, cash, guns from Parojinog clan members
Police seized some 12 kilos of shabu, multi-million cash, and a cache of firearms in a series of raid in the houses of the surviving members of the Parojinog political clan in Ozamiz City on Wednesday night.
Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido, director of the Ozamiz City police, said the operations stemmed from a tip about at least three drug transactions involving drug distributors from Cebu, General Santos City, and Lanao provinces.
Intense intelligence monitoring, according to Espenido, led them to a certain Butch Merino who was supposed to deliver a kilo of shabu to a drug distributor from Lanao Tuesday.
Merino is reportedly a former bodyguard/driver of Ozamiz City Vice Mayor Nova Parojinog who is currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame.
“We were able to arrest him and he said he was supposed to sell the almost one kilo of shabu to a drug distributor from Lanao for 12.5 million,” Espenido told Manila Bulletin in a phone interview.
The prevailing market price for a kilo of shabu is now 15 million.
During interrogation, Espenido said Merino squealed the name of a certain Meldin Rabanes as his source.
Rabanes is a first cousin of the detained vice mayor. Rabanes’ mother is the younger sister of the slain Ozamiz Mayor Aldong Parojinog, according to Espenido.
“We asked Merino to contact his source and told him that there is another buyer. It worked out and it led to the arrest of Rabanes as he was delivering another kilo of shabu,” said Espenido.
Rabanes who yielded a huge amount of cash when arrested later named his drug source, Espenido added.
Guns, ammo
To check Rabanes’ information, the police raided Wednesday night the houses of the Parojinogs and their supporters who were allegedly keeping the drug stocks.
The cops seized some eight kilos of shabu from the house of Melodia and Gaudencio Malingin who were arrested. However, their cohorts were able to escape.
Two more kilos of shabu kept inside a steel vault and an airsoft rifle were seized from the house of Maychell Parojinog Gumapac.
Search in the house of Manuelito, Rizalina and June – all surnamed Francisco yielded an assault rifle, three short magazines, one bandolier, 90 M16 ammunition, two rifle grenade launchers, three bullets for M203 and 20 empty cartridge of M16.
From the house of Ricardo and Christopher Parojinog, police seized an M16 rifle, a steel short magazine, 19 bullets for of 5.56 cal and a hand grenade.
The Parojinogs and the Franciscos managed to elude arrest.
Drugs came from Manila
Espenido told Manila Bulletin the 12 kilos of shabu seized were part of the remaining 86 kilos of shabu delivered to the Parojinogs last year.
“They were delivered in batches and all of those shabu came from Manila,” he added.
The official, however, did not elaborate but said they are tracking the remaining illegal drugs.
Espenido has been building cases against the Parojinogs since he was assigned as Ozamiz City police director.
Mayor Reynaldo “Aldong” Parojinog, his wife and 12 others were killed last July during a drug raid in their home in Bgy. San Roque Lawis, Ozamiz City.
The slain Ozamiz mayor was linked by President Duterte to illegal drugs trade.
NBI is back
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) like the Philippine National Police has rejoined the government’s campaign against illegal drugs following the President’s order to involve law enforcement agencies in the drug campaign but with PDEA on the lead.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II revoked Department Order No. 670 issued in Octoberdirecting the NBI “to leave to the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) all operations against illegal drugs.”
In issuing DO No. 779, Aguirre directed the NBI “to conduct investigation and case build-up for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002’ until further orders.”
Aguirre reminded the NBI, PDEA “shall continue to be the overall lead agency in drug operations pursuant to Republic Act No. 9165.”
With the police providing support to PDEA, Director Oscar Albayalde, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) directed all district directors in Metro Manila to make sure that operatives who will join the drug operation under the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) “are trained, qualified and disciplined to handle their assignment.”
The PNP was relieved from the drug war because erring members exploited the anti-drugs operations to earn huge sums of money due to abuses.
This time, the PNP vowed to exercise extreme caution to ensure less bloody anti-drugs operations.
Albayalde said he will make sure that all Metro Manila cops in anti-drugs operations will use body cameras to ensure that allegations of executions will not be repeated.
“In the absence of a body camera, a videographer or cameraman will be designated. If none, a barangay chairman or the media will be invited to join the operations,” said Albayalde.
"The war on drugs is not ours alone, it is also the public’s, hence we solicit their support. We also ask the LGUs to commit on supporting the police especially on logistical needs so that together we fight this drug menace", said Albayalde. (With a report from Jeffrey G. Damicog)