The commander of the La Loma police station in Quezon City and five of his men have been relieved of their posts pending an investigation into the “drug-planting” allegation made by a suspect who was arrested in December.
Supt. Tomas Nuñez was removed as station commander, based on an order issued by Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, on Wednesday.
Also covered by the order were Insp. Felipe Tumibay, station drug enforcement unit chief, and Police Officers 1 Allen Christian Camangon, Mico Jensen Amurao, Jesson Valenzuela and Alvin Afroilan.
Camangon and Amurao are with the antinarcotics unit while Valenzuela and Afroilan are beat patrollers.
Their relief was based on the “tanim-droga” allegation made by Cristina Flores, a 35-year-old housewife from Barangay Apolonio Samson, who has been detained at Camp Karingal since Dec. 21 on a charge of illegal drug possession.
Earlier, Flores filed a motion for reconsideration in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. She also sought the dismissal of the charge against her, claiming that no illegal drugs were seized from her.
According to police reports, the La Loma antidrug unit, with Camangon and Amurao as poseur buyer and arresting officer, respectively, conducted a drug bust on Dec. 22 against Flores and Michael Bryan Ortiz, a 25-year-old helper mechanic reportedly on the police station’s drug watchlist.
The police claimed that they seized three sachets of suspected “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) from the two, along with P300 in cash.
‘No raid, no drugs’
Flores, however, insisted that no drug raid took place and no drugs were seized from her.
According to her, she attended a religious group’s Christmas activity on Dec. 21. When she got home, a barangay tanod (watchman) went to her house and said she had to come with him to the barangay hall.
Upon their arrival, Ortiz identified her and another woman named Josephine Dominise as his drug runners, Flores added.
The official barangay report said Ortiz was arrested by Valenzuela, Afroilan and barangay watchmen on Dec. 21 after they found three sachets of suspected shabu on him.
He was taken to the barangay hall and turned over to the La Loma police, along with Flores and Dominise whom he identified as his runners.
There was no mention in the barangay report of any drugs being recovered from Flores.
In an interview with reporters on Thursday, Nuñez maintained the regularity of the drug raid they conducted.
“The barangay officers arrested Ortiz and Flores and the police officers were only alerted after the arrest,” he said, adding that it was during the “tactical interrogation” that Ortiz named Flores as his drug runner.
Eleazar said Nuñez would be placed on floating status and assigned to the Administrative Holding Unit at Camp Karingal pending an investigation into Flores’ allegation.