MANILA, Philippines – The National Prosecution Service (NPS) has filed cases for planting of evidence and delay and bungling in the prosecution of a drug case against 30 police officers in connection with the confiscation of over 900 kilos of shabu worth P6.7 billion.
In its resolution, the panel of prosecutors said the police officers failed to conduct a lawful arrest of a police officer suspected of involvement in the drug trade and another individual, also for trading drugs.
The botched operations led to the arrest of Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo and Ney Atadero and the seizure of billions of pesos worth of shabu.
Atadero was reportedly arrested on Oct. 8, 2022, in a buy-bust operation while Mayo was arrested on Oct. 9, 2022, in a hot pursuit operation that ended in Manila.
The police presented two kilograms of shabu as allegedly in the possession of Mayo.
The prosecutors, however, said that based on evidence, the two arrests were “simulated.”
CCTV footage presented by the complainants– Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the National Police Commission (Napolcom) showed that Mayo was already under arrest on Oct. 8, 2022.
The footage, which was also presented by former Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. in a press conference, showed that a handcuffed Mayo was even brought by the police to the the WPD Lending Office in Tondo on Oct. 8, where the buy-bust against Atadero was supposed to take place.
“We can conclude from the complaints, that Mayo has already been arrested earlier in Bambang, Tondo, Manila, for allegedly possessing two kilograms of shabu while Atadero can be seen from the still shots of the CCTV footage that he was in WPD Lending office freely roaming, hence the subsequent arrests, thereafter are staged,” read the resolution.
“In other words, it should be noted that before the staged arrests of both Mayo and Atadero, the two had previously been actually held by the police officers on the same day,” it added.
The resolution noted that Atadero’s stay at the WPD Lending Office was only waiting for the arrival of senior police officers who would inspect the arrest.
Although the drug case against Mayo and Atadero has already been filed in court, the prosecutors noted that the indictment was based on the simulated arrests.
“For willfully causing the unsuccessful apprehension and prosecution of Mayo and Atadero, which could have been legitimately carried out if the concerned police officers only lawfully discharged their official functions, they should be held criminally liable for violation of Section 92 of RA 9165 (Planting of Evidence under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act),” read the resolution.
The case is already before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 175.