BAGUIO CITY -- The local court here has sentenced the last drug kingpin of Baguio City to life imprisonment.
In a joint decision issued by Judge Rufus Malecdan, Jr. of Branch 60, First Judicial Region, Baguio City, Federico Oliveros, 40, alias "Eric," was sentenced to life imprisonment for violation of Section 11, Article II of the Republic Act. 9165, after being caught with a total of 48.56 grams of shabu and 4ml glass vial containing liquid shabu, on July 14, 2020.
Oliveros was also sentenced to imprisonment of six months and one day as minimum and four years as maximum, in connection with violation of Section 12, Article II of RA 9165, after being caught with drug pharaphernalia on the same date.
According to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Cordillera Director Gil Castro, the decision was signed on January 17, 2022 and the promulgation was done on February 28, 2022.
He said the legal battle against the drug group was spearheaded by the PDEA with the help of the Department of Justice through Prosecutor Philip Kiat-ong.
Castro said Oliveros has replaced the leadership of his father, Bernardo "Benjie" Oliveros, leader of the "Oliveros drug cartel" that operates in Baguio City and neighboring provinces in Cordillera.
The elderly Oliveros was sentenced to life term and was fined P10 million for selling drugs by Judge Antonio Reyes in 2013 after a search warrant operation was conducted by PDEA, Baguio City Police Office, and National Bureau of Investigation personnel. He was caught with P400,000 worth of shabu, liquid shabu, several drug paraphernalia, and a 25 caliber pistol, in September 2011.
According to Castro, “the conviction of the‘ father and son ’of organized local drug groups prompted the neutralization of the wide-ranging and deep-seated Oliveros drug group in the Cordillera Region.
At least three other close relatives or drug group members of the older Oliveros who were collared by PDEA had already been convicted.