5 ‘hulidap’ narcs get 40 years for kidnapping

The dismissed chief of the Pasay police drug enforcement unit and four ex-narcotics officers will serve 40 years in prison after a Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) found them guilty of kidnapping an alleged drug offender three years ago.

Judge Andres Soriano of Makati RTC Branch 148 imposed the long prison term on former Police Lt. Ronaldo Frades, who was head of the Pasay police station drug enforcement unit (SDEU), and his subordinates—former Police Staff Sgt. Rigor Octaviano, Police Cpl. Anwar Nasser, and Patrolmen Anthony Fernandez and John Mark Cruz.

A copy of the 51-page June 20 decision was obtained by the Inquirer on Friday.

The court also ordered each of the former officers to “jointly” pay the victim P50,000 and P100,000 in restitution to the Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF)—the antiscalawag unit of the Philippine National Police, which is now called the Integrity Monitoring Enforcement Group (Imeg).

Justice system rarity

The conviction of the five former narcotics officers was a rare instance of justice served to a victim of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs that had killed, by official count, more than 6,000 people during his six years in office.

The case stemmed from a complaint of “hulidap,” a kidnap-extortion scheme by corrupt officers, that was filed by the victim’s partner.

Acting on the complaint, the CITF and National Capital Region Police Office rescued “George” at the Pasay SDEU office on March 6, 2019. The victim, whose true identity is being withheld for his security, told the authorities that he was abducted by plainclothes officers of the Pasay SDEU around 9 a.m. the previous day on Bautista Street, which is part of Makati City.

He said the officers told him he was being arrested supposedly on drug charges, but he denied any involvement in illegal drugs.

His common-law wife “Joan” told the CITF that the officers demanded a “ransom” of P100,000 for his release.

Nasser was arrested in an entrapment operation the next day but Frades and three others were able to escape. They later surrendered.

No records

The CITF found that there were no records of the supposed antidrug operation and George’s arrest was not noted down on the police blotter. Investigators also learned that George was not involved in any drug case.

The hulidap scandal led to the sacking of the entire 27-man Pasay SDEU, and the relief of the city’s then police chief, Police Col. Noel Flores.

All of the five respondents were later dismissed from the service after the PNP found them guilty of grave misconduct for committing robbery, graft and for violating the ethics code for public officials and employees.

In convicting the five former narcotics officers, Judge Soriano gave weight to the “credible” and “consistent” testimonies of the couple, who positively identified the officers who made the false arrest and demanded ransom.

“Equally, important and significant, there is no indication, nor showing that any of the testimonies of [George] or [Joan], and/or the testimonies of any of the prosecution witnesses … was tainted with malice and or ill intent,” the judge said.

‘Proof’ of PNP action

The prosecution also presented an authenticated video of the entrapment operation.

The court rejected the alibis of the respondents, who claimed they were conducting a buy-bust operation at the time of George’s arrest.

A CITF officer testified that those on the list of the persons arrested during the supposed buy-bust operation were already detained by the SDEU when the entrapment was implemented.

After it was informed about the court’s decision on Thursday night, the PNP said it welcomed the conviction of the five dismissed officers.

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