QC crime lab evidence custodian, 2 others nabbed
‘Seized drugs sold’
By Jeannette Andrade
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:39:00 01/10/2008
Filed Under: shabu, Graft & Corruption, Police, Local authorities
MANILA, Philippines – Police arrested the evidence custodian of the Quezon City crime laboratory office (CLO), his suspected runner and an alleged customer in separate buy-bust and entrapment operations Wednesday night in Quezon City.
PO2 Joseph Viguilla, who has been with the CLO for more than eight years, was arrested in the area close to SM North Edsa mall. A search of his black Mitsubishi Gallant (PSV-854) yielded shabu inside brown and white envelopes marked “EVIDENCE,” police said.
Also seized from Viguilla was P5,000 in cash, believed to be proceeds from the sale of shabu and illegal drug paraphernalia.
Drug charges are being readied against those who were arrested and are now in the custody of QCPD Station 10. Administrative charges will also be filed against Viguilla, which could mean his dismissal from the police service.
Supt. Asprinio Cabula, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Kamuning station 10 commander, said the illegal drugs worth P320,000 allegedly sold by Viguilla were evidence seized from drug offenders.
Cabula told the Inquirer the CLO would conduct an inventory to determine if Viguilla’s alleged selling of confiscated drugs affected pending court cases.
Substances retrieved from the CLO custodian included those related to drug cases as far back as 1995, police said. The last case was filed in 2003.
The entrapment operations conducted jointly by the CLO and the Kamuning Station 10 followed a buy-bust operation conducted by Station Anti-Illegal Drugs (SAID) personnel against Viguilla’s suspected runner, Melissa Vallade, 34, of Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Cabula said Vallade was the wife of Viguilla’s friend, a former employee of a Quezon City regional trial court. An alleged buyer, Marlon Clemente, of Scout Castor Street in Quezon City, was also arrested.
During the buy-bust operation along Scout Chuatoco in Barangay Roxas District, Vallade allegedly tagged Viguilla as the source of the shabu.
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