Former police master sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr. (Screenshot from Zoom)

Exactly how was former police master sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr. able to gather nearly a ton of "shabu" inside WPD Lending office, the site of a police operation on Oct. 8, 2022?

Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop highlighted this incredible detail on Wednesday, April 26 and wondered whether or not this had caught the eye Philippine National Police (PNP) officials.

"I do not know if the PNP or the authorities in charge of these are alarmed by the fact that a non-commissioned officer of the PNP has in his possession one ton of illegal drugs....police na ang may hawak. Hindi ba kayo nagtataka doon (A policeman has this in his possession. Doesn't it make you wonder)?" asked Acop during the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs' hearing on the controversial Tondo, Manila drug bust.

On Oct. 8, 2022, police operatives found during a "follow-up operation" some 990 kilos of shabu at the WPD Lending office located along A. Bonifacio St., Tondo, Manila. Mayo reportedly owned the company.

"In the case of sergeant Mayo, wala akong makita na Chinese man lang ho (there wasn't even a Chinese personality) [or] he has in his possession one ton of illegal drugs. Saan kaya nanggaling yun? Hindi ko alam kung iniimbestigahan ng PNP yun (Where did that come from? I don't know of the PNP is investigating that)," the Antipolo lawmaker noted.

"Saan ba nanggaling yang 990 kilos na yan? Wala tayong report na drug laboratory here. Wala naman nirereport ang customs (Where did the 990 kilos come from? There are no reports of a drug laboratory here. There is no report from customs either). How did 990 kilos or more entered this country?" he further asked.

It was learned during the hearing that the 990 kilos of shabu were found in a vault inside WPD Lending office.

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the committee chairman, agreed with Acop's observation that it was quite shocking for someone like Mayo to have in his possession such a huge cache of illegal drugs.

"Ayon sa narration ng ating officials, parang aksidenteng nadiscover during a follow-up sa WPD Lending office (According to the narration of our officials, the shabu was somewhat accidentally discovered during a follow-up at WPD Lending office)," he said.

"Isang tonelada yung hawak niya eh. Baka mas malaki pa siya doon sa Instik na drug lord na nahuhuli natin minsan (He was holding one ton of shabu. He appears to be bigger than the Chinese drug lords that we sometimes catch)," added Barbers.

The 990 kilos of shabu are valued at a whopping P6.7 billion.

Mayo, who is detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, attended Wednesday's hearing via Zoom.