Iloilo trader, wife meet DILG chief to deny links to drugs

A businessman and his wife who were being suspected as drug lords in Iloilo Province met with Interior Secretary Mike Sueno on Thursday to clear their names.

At a press briefing in Camp Crame, Sueno said Melvin Odicta and his wife are now fearing for their  lives after their names were included on the drug watchlist of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

To prove their innocence, Sueno said the couple subjected themselves to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to undergo questioning.

The Odictas will also present documents to the CIDG. As to the content of the documents, Sueno declined to divulge the information as it was confidential.

The secretary said Melvin had told him that the only time he was involved in drugs was in 1991 when he was convicted for illegal possession of marijuana.

“According to them, maganda ang negosyo nila. They own (a fleet of taxi) units, 75 units of vans, pawnshops, gasoline stations, and restaurants. So people are just jealous. That’s why they are being suspected as drug lords,” Sueno said.

In an ambush interview, lawyer Raymond Fortun said Melvin’s wife Meriam has been repeatedly mistaken for a bigtime drug lord.

For three years, Fortun said a local radio station has been naming a big-time drug lord as “Dragon the Drug Lord.” But the lawyer said Meriam uses the nickname “Dragon” because she was born in the Chinese year of the Dragon.

Fortun said his clients are willing to subject themselves to a lifestyle check.