Baleros warns cops vs ‘recycling of drugs’

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police Colonel Romeo Baleros, director of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo), warned policemen particularly those assigned to the anti-drug operations to never engage in the recycling of confiscated illegal drugs from police operations.

Though Nocppo has no reports about it, Baleros, in a regular press briefing at Nocppo headquarters here yesterday, said he will file administrative charges for immediate dismissal from the service if a member of the provincial police office will be involved in it.

“Once I obtained evidence that you are recycling the seized illegal drugs, the door of Nocppo is widely open for you,” he stressed.

The issue on the recycling of illegal drugs recently made headlines again after Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) head Aaron Aquino revealed in a Senate hearing last week that recycling of seized illegal drugs remains rampant among involved policemen, a statement which was already refuted by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde.

Baleros said that investigators should immediately turn over all confiscated illegal drugs to the provincial crime laboratory after the buy-bust operations.

He said he will be sending a letter to the chief of the crime laboratory to see the evidence facility and to check if the confiscated contrabands are still intact, except for the seized drugs which are presented to the court.