Northern Police District (NPD) Director Brig. Gen. Ulysses G. Cruz has ordered the administrative relief of Caloocan City Police Station (CCPS) Bagong Silang Sub-station (Sub-station 13) officials after one of its personnel was arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted in the city on Thursday, Aug. 4.
The NPD said the Sub-station 13 commander, assistant commander, shift supervisor, and the team members of the arrested police officer have been disarmed and placed under camp restriction pending the investigation on the incident.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) launched the buy-bust operation on Thursday which led to the arrest of Cpl. Mark Jefferson Lopez, 30, who was assigned to Sub-station 13; and his cohort, John Lester Lopez, 25, from Bagong Silang.
The operation that yielded around 500 grams of alleged shabu worth P3,400,000 was conducted at the corner of Zabarte and Camarin Roads, Brgy. 172 around 5 p.m.
Seized from the suspects were the arrested officer’s Philippine National Police (PNP) issued Glock 17 firearm, his PNP identification card, a cal. 45 pistol, two pistol magazines, 26 live bullets, the buy-bust money, a Caloocan City vaccination card, and three mobile phones.
The suspects will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165, the Compehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Col. Samuel Mina, CCPS chief, told Manila Bulletin on Friday, Aug. 5, that the administrative relief of the officials were ordered due to their failure to monitor the illegal activity of their personnel.
“Hindi ko kailanman tinotolerate ang ganitong gawain ng ating kapulisan at sisiguraduhin natin na matanggal sya sa serbisyo para hindi pamarisan. Palaging magtrabaho ng maayos at tama at palaging isapuso ang disiplina para maiangat pa natin lalo ang antas ng seguridad dito sa lungsod ng Caloocan (I will never tolerate this type of work and we will make sure that he will be removed from the service so that no one will follow him. Always do your workright and always take to heart the discipline so that we can raise the level of security here in the city of Caloocan),” Mina said.
“We do not condone the wrongdoings and irregularities of our erring personnel, I assure the public that they will feel and face the full force of the law,” Cruz said.