A week before his retirement, Police General Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. advised President Marcos to be careful in choosing his replacement as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) amid what he describes as ‘a pattern of pilferage’ of supposed confiscated shabu by erring police anti-narcotics agents.
In warning the President, Azurin said top police officials would end up being inadvertently dragged into the show being run by illegal drugs syndicates with the help of their cohorts in the police organization.
He said he is aware even before of the modus of some erring cops wherein they would steal from confiscated illegal drugs before they were being declared and reported to the higher authorities.
This is the reason, according to Azurin, why he never attended any on-site media presentation of confiscated illegal drugs.
“I never attended any photo opportunities of illegal drugs operations because I do not want to be set up by illegal drugs syndicates,” said Azurin.
“I never showed my face in any drug operation because my instinct is not to believe that those presented were the only drugs confiscated,” he stressed.
He then cited a case when he was still the commander of the Area Police Command-Northern Luzon wherein he was invited to attend a photo opportunity in drugs seized in a gas station.
It turned out later, according to Azurin, that the operation yielded more than the 60 kilos of shabu that was earlier reported.
“That's why I have to warn even the President. Sir, be careful in selecting my successor because I was surprised that (Police Lt. Gen.) Jonnel Estomo was there. What if Jonnel is being set up, who could he be an effective Chief PNP now?,” said Azurin.
He is apparently referring to the media presentation of the confiscated P4 billion worth of illegal drugs in Baguio City.
Estomo is currently the number three man of the PNP, or the Deputy Chief for Operations. He used to be the director of the National Capital Region Police Office before his appointment as PNP’s number three man.
Estomo is also one of the top contenders as Azurin’s replacement when the latter reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56 on April 24.
“So do you see the tentacles of illegal drugs syndicates? They have the temerity to invite you and present. So we really have to know the story behind all the illegal drugs that we confiscate,” said Azurin.
Cryptic statement
In his statement, Azurin urged Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos on the illegal drugs operations in the past— the raid in Poro-Poro, La Union; Binalonan, Pangasinan; Mexico, Pampanga and Baguio City.
“Is it not baffling that parcels of shabu keep on popping up around the country— particularly in provinces up North—despite the PNP Drug Enforcement Group’s supposedly relentless operations?,” said Azurin.
He said he declined the invitations for their presentations since he had to be convinced that the illegal drugs presented were not pilfered first.
He said no less than the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) provided the PNP intelligence and information on the involvement of erring cops in recycling of illegal drugs.
“We are going after them. In the proper forum, I can share this information to the SILG (Secretary of the Interior and Local Government) so that he can help us also in going after some scalawags who could be blindsiding him and some of the officials of the government in the anti-drug campaign,” said Azurin.
Identified
Azurin also disclosed that at the course of his tour of duty as Chief PNP, he was able to identify the members of the PNP who are involved in illegal drugs activities.
“Let it be told that the PNP had tracked down personalities linked to Mayo and his cohorts,” said Azurin.
Police Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo, who is now dismissed from the service, was tagged as behind the 990 kilos of shabu seized in Manila last year.
The large quantity of drugs seized in the same operation, according to Azurin, as well as the possible source of the seized 990 kilos of drugs also gave them information on cops involved in illegal drugs.
“Saying we opened a can of worms is an understatement. One cannot fathom the extent how illegal drugs had infiltrated the high echelons of the society,” said Azurin.