Sotto says drug lords continue to carry out criminal activities from NBP

MANILA, Philippines — Using other inmates as assassins to kill someone outside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) remains to be one of the criminal activities  allegedly being carried out by drug lords from inside the penitentiary.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III revealed this on Friday following six Senate committee hearings into the alleged corrupt practices inside the NBP.

“Allowing criminal activities outside tapos balik sa loob. Tapos yung drug trafficking na talagang palasak, doon sila nago-operate,” Sotto, citing direct information from inside the NBP, told reporters in a phone patch interview at the Senate.

“Murder, criminal activities para payagan makalabas, may gagawin and then may patitira yung mga drug lord, babalik sa loob. Walang huli,” he added.

Such illegal activities, Sotto said, still continue to happen inside the country’s main penitentiary.

The Senate justice and human rights committee, chaired by Senator Richard Gordon, is currently investigating alleged anomalous rackets being perpetrated inside the NBP.

The panel’s probe, which started out as a review into the implementation of the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law, has already unraveled several money-making rackets.

These include the smuggling of prostitutes or “tilapia” and contrabands like cellular phones, drugs or alcoholic drinks for a fee.

READ: Of ‘tilapia’ and women: More money-making schemes inside Bilibid exposed

“The names are already with Senator Gordon, names no’ng mga involved, katulad no’ng mag grupo nung mga ’Innova Boys,’ yung mga involved dun sa pagpasok ng ‘tilapia,’ ang style pala, kunwari asawa ng isang binata dun, hahanap sila ng binata, kunwari asawa kaya labas masok yung babae, ang totoo, ginagamit nung drug lord yung babae,” Sotto went on.

The so-called “Innova Boys” are prison guards who received cars from a high-profile inmate as bribe in exchange for protection from drugs raids.

READ: Inmate ruled Bilibid with cars for bribe, says witness