Sotto says ‘ninja cops’ exist even before Duterte administration

MANILA, Philippines—Senate President Vicente Sotto III is convinced that the controversy involving policemen recycling seized illegal drugs, or otherwise known as “ninja cops,” is not connected with the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, saying that the issue emanated from past administration.

“The ninja cop controversy emanated from events in the past administration, not in the administration of President Duterte. That was an issue in 2013,” Sotto told reporters in a forum at Manila Hotel.

The Senate investigation focused on the alleged recycling of seized illegal drugs by 13 Pampanga policemen who were implicated in a controversial anti-drug sting in 2013.

The 13 policemen were subordinates of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde, who was the Pampanga provincial police director in 2013.

Albayalde and his former subordinates were accused of acquiring new sports utility vehicles (SUVs) following the 2013 questionable operation against a certain Johnson Lee, wherein the police team allegedly seized some 200 kilograms of shabu but only declared 36 kilograms as evidence.

The former Pampanga policemen were also allegedly paid to make it appear that the Chinese drug lord had escaped.

Albayalde, meanwhile, is also accused of supposedly influencing the investigation against the 13 Pampanga policemen.

“This issue is when he was the provincial director of PNP in Pampanga … it’s easy to connect it to the drug issue but it is not connected with the Duterte administration’s war on drugs,” Sotto said, speaking partly in Filipino.

Despite the controversy, Duterte said Albayalde, like common criminals, enjoyed the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

The President has already ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government to look at the issue “very carefully.” /jpv

READ: DILG opens ‘ninja cops’ probe