Authorities serve freeze order vs suspected drug courier’s Cebu home

The CPNP and AMLC officials jointly fixed the notice to the public of a government freeze of the Mandaue property of Charlie Duhaylungsod Fortuna, a known high value target operating in Visayas. /PNP-PIO

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday said it has implemented the freeze order issued by the Court of Appeals on the property of suspected drug courier Charlie Fortuna, who was arrested in Mandaue City in 2019.

PNP chief General Debold Sinas disclosed that the freeze order was a result of the parallel investigation of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) against Fortuna.

“Ang AMLC nagawa ng parallel investigation para magfile ng case sa court para i-freeze ang assets. Ito gumawa tayo ng marker which is already a freeze order. […] We have evidence na pag-aari ito ngayon ni Charlie Fortuna,” he said in an interview with reporters outside Fortuna’s home inside a posh subdivision along Barangay Cubacub, Mandaue City.

(AMLC conducted a parallel investigation to file a case before the court to freeze the assets of Fortuna. We implemented a marker that is already a freeze order. We have evidence that this property is owned by Fortuna.)

Police said the CA issued a resolution on the freezing of Fortuna’s accounts and properties, following the petition filed by the AMLC.

The AMLC found in their probe that Fortuna has 10 bank accounts “related to his drug trafficking activities,” police added.

The council also found that aside from Fortuna’s property in Barangay Cubacub, the drug suspect also has a property in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental.

In February 2019, operatives seized over P51 million crystal meth or shabu in Fortuna’s property in Barangay Cubacub, where the drug suspect was also arrested.

Fortuna was also detained during Sinas’ term as chief of Central Visayas police.

EDV