PNP chief: Cops tied to drugs unworthy of police service

PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez. INQUIRER.net/JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS

Members of the Philippine National Police, especially the high-ranking ones, who are involved in illegal drug activities are not worthy of wearing the police uniform and should be removed from the ranks, the PNP chief said.

PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez reiterated this after Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte revealed that there are at least three police generals are “involved in drug activities.”

The presidential aspirant, however, refused to name the officials as he said he was not “in the authority” to identify them.

READ: Duterte alleges high-ranking PNP officials have drug ties

“The PNP does not tolerate any member of the organization who violates the law, as he is not worthy to wear our uniform and should be removed from our ranks. In fact, one of the important pillars of our anti-drug strategy is internal cleansing,” Marquez said in a statement sent to INQUIRER.net.

Marquez urged the public to give to the PNP any evidence that would prove the involvement of a police member in drug activities.

“We however appeal for those who have information of illegal activities of our personnel to provide us sufficient information and evidence necessary for us to file charges against them and subsequently impose to them the appropriate punishment,” he added.

The PNP has recently strengthened its anti-illegal drug arm by establishing the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group.

Since the creation of the AIDG, several drug raids and arrests have been made. One of which led to the discovery that a military official was allegedly involved in a drug trade with a Chinese-led drug syndicate.

But Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand Marcelino claims he was merely doing intelligence work at the clandestine drug laboratory where the AIDG and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency operatives found him. CDG

READ: Top narc busted: Say it ain’t so, Col. Marcelino