Manila, San Juan police probed over custody of drug suspects

MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has ordered an investigation into the dispute between the Manila and San Juan police over the custody of two arrested drug pushers last week.

NCRPO director Chief Superintendent Joel Pagdilao directed Eastern Police District chief Senior Superintendent Elmer Jamias to probe the incident and vowed to impose sanctions against erring police officers involved in the operation.

Pagdilao wanted Jamias to determine whether the four operatives of the Manila Police District (MPD) Station 3 violated the police standard operating procedures in arresting drug suspects.

The NCRPO chief explained that all drug stings should be covered by pre-operation procedures as required by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Pagdilao ordered Jamias to determine why the four Manila policemen failed to coordinate with the San Juan police.

Armed with a pre-op report, members of the San Juan police anti-drug unit headed by Chief Inspector Hoover Pascual arrested alleged drug pushers Leah Sarip, 32, and Norie Mohammad, 35, in a sting at the parking lot of a fastfood chain along N. Domingo street in San Juan on Sept. 29.

However, when Sarip and Mohammad were brought to the Station Anti-Illegal Drugs office of the San Juan police, a team from the MPD Station 3 anti-drug unit arrived and claimed that the suspects were also their target.

The team was composed of Chief Inspector John Guiagui, Senior Police Officer 2 Rosendo Ascano, SPO1 Herbert Salazar and PO3 Rodolfo Mayo.

Pascual and Guiagui engaged in a heated argument over the custody of Sarip and Mohammad.

“Unknown to both parties, they have the same drug personalities who were the subject of police surveillance,” Senior Superintendent Ariel Arcinas, San Juan police chief, said.

He said the four Manila police officers were brought to the San Juan police station for verification purposes.

Arcinas ordered the release of the MPD policemen after instructing them to coordinate first with their counterparts before conducting an operation outside their jurisdiction.

Police have filed drug charges before the city prosecutor’s office against Sarip and Mohammad, who were detained at the San Juan police detention center.