MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Five more police officers who were ordered arrested for their alleged involvement in the mishandled P6.7 billion drug case are now in the custody of the Philippine National Police (PNP), bringing the total to 15.
Last January 15, the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) ordered the arrest of 29 policemen involved in the bungling of the prosecution of arrested personalities implicated in the P6.7 billion shabu case.
READ: Court orders arrest of 29 cops involved in mishandling P6.7B shabu case
In an ambush interview on Monday, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said they are in the process of taking the remaining 14 police officers into custody.
鈥淲e currently have 15 officers in custody; there are several that are active and retired. The process of taking the remaining ones into custody is ongoing,鈥� Torre said in a mix of Filipino and English.
The PNP earlier stated that those in custody included four patrolmen, one lieutenant colonel, one major, one captain, one lieutenant, one executive master sergeant, and one senior master sergeant.
Torre, however, did not disclose the ranks of the other five officers.
He added that they were taken into custody by various PNP units, and those who are active are currently under the custody of their respective commanders.
On April 10, 2023,聽 then Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. revealed the names of police officers involved in the alleged attempt to cover up the irregularities during the seizure of P6.7 billion worth of shabu in October 2022.
The alleged cover-up was in connection with the arrest of dismissed Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr., who yielded 990 kilograms of shabu.