Drug matrix involving Duterte adviser released

EMBATTLED former police official Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto released Tuesday, March 26, a drug matrix that showed the involvement in the illegal drug trade of President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic adviser, Michael Yang.

Based on the drug matrix, Yang is a member of the Johnson Chua drug syndicate led by a certain Johnson Co, who is based in mainland China but was recently monitored in Hong Kong and Macau.

The matrix showed that Co has business partners running Chinese warehouses being used in illegal drug operations in Cagayan de Oro City and General Santos City.

Yang, alias Dragon, and his partner, Allan Lim, are incharge of facilitating the entry of illegal drugs in the country through the help of several officials in the Bureau of Customs, it stated.

It also showed that Yang is receiving P50,000 for every kilo of shabu, which will be delivered to their business partners.

Acierto said Lim is behind the clandestine laboratory, which was raided by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Cavite in July 2018.

Recovered from the laboratory were P10.4 billion worth of drugs and equipment for the manufacturing of illegal drugs.

He said Lim was arrested during the operation but was later released due to technicality.

Acierto said Yang also provided shipping documents for the entry of the illegal drugs recovered during a raid in a warehouse in Cagayan de Oro in 2005, which was operated by a certain Allan Sy, as well as those found in Dumoy and Bunawan, Davao clandestine laboratory during an operation in 2004.

He said all the said illegal drugs were all from Co’s drug group.

Acierto said the matrix was among the reports he submitted to former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director Aaron Aquino, and Police Deputy Director General Camilo Cascolan.

He said copies of the report was also sent to PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde, Senator Richard Gordon, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and former special assistant to the president Christopher “Bong” Go, hoping that it will reach Duterte.

He said he does not have direct access to the President.

Acierto said he felt betrayed considering that after submitting such report, he was tagged by Duterte as among the police officers involved in illegal drugs.

Duterte tagged Acierto in October 2018 as among the police officials involved in illegal drugs.

Acierto was also implicated in the P11 billion worth of smuggled drugs concealed in magnetic lifters that were found at the Manila International Container Port, as well as in a warehouse in Cavite.

Albayalde said in a press briefing in Camp Crame Tuesday, March 26, that he could not remember receiving a report from Acierto concerning Yang's involvement in the illegal drug trade.

“I can only speculate that Acierto could be doing all these indiscriminate allegations in a vain attempt to muddle the ongoing case resulting from his indictment in the P6.4-billion shabu smuggled inside magnetic lifters through the Bureau of Customs,” he said.

He also said that Yang is not included in the PNP intelligence division's list of drug personalities. (SunStar Philippines)