PNP: Drug deals done inside casinos

AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) said drug deals are now being held inside casinos where money laundering is done.

Police Chief Inspector Roque Merdeguia of the PNP Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) confirmed this in a press briefing Monday.

Merdeguia said drug deals are done using casino chips instead of money.

In this process, he said, the dirty money from drugs is being laundered.

He, however, declined to mention the meeting place of drug syndicates so as not to hamper police operations.

He said the PNP is conducting ongoing investigation on the said illegal operations.

On Sunday, February 23, the world’s most wanted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman of the Sinaloa drug syndicate was arrested by Mexican police.

In December 2013, the PNP confirmed that the Mexican drug group is operating here in the Philippines following the discovery of a shabu storage facility in Batangas.

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