Drug lord tagged as NBP blast mastermind

MANILA, Philippines - A Chinese drug lord allegedly masterminded a grenade explosion that rocked the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in January, according to documents obtained by The STAR.

The explosion was meant to kill drug lord Jaybee Sebastian, who allegedly ordered all drug peddlers in the state penitentiary not to remit their earnings to Tony Co.

Co is one of 19 convicts currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after Justice Secretary Leila de Lima plucked them out of NBP last year. Sebastian is one of his alleged competitors.

The investigation, led by agent Ed Kawada of the NBI-National Capital Region, established Co’s connection through the accounts of witnesses Leonardo Eliseo and Joey Aquino, among others.

Kawada charged eight people with murder and multiple frustrated murder before the Muntinlupa prosecutor’s office last week: Co, Jerson Dasmarinas, Rosendo Brillo, Nino Garin, Richard Nunez, Heherson Lensico, a certain Gerry Tilkapia and certain Baldwin.

The blast killed Jojo Fampo and wounded 19 others.

The order for the grenade attack allegedly came from Co.

Dasmarinas supervised the attack while Brillo lobbed the grenade, according to witnesses.

Overheard

Eliseo said he works for Dasmarinas, who describes himself as Co’s trusted man. He said in his affidavit that the two talked through a cell phone hours after Co was removed from the NBP on Dec. 15, 2014.

He said he was about to remit his earnings when he overheard Co’s angry voice on the cell phone, which was on loudspeaker mode, ordering Dasmarinas to kill Sebastian.

Eliseo also heard Dasmarinas telling Co that Sebastian ordered all those with outstanding debts to Co not to pay up.

At around 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 8, Aquino and another witness, Luther Sabado, saw Brillo lob the grenade near the hallway where Sebastian stood. Brillo missed the target because Sebastian walked away before the hand grenade exploded.