AN OFFICIAL in a police station under the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is facing investigation for reportedly accepting protection money from drug personalities.
Senior Supt. Joel Doria, the CCPO director, said they are validating the information they gathered from a drug pusher they caught in an operation.
“When we conducted investigation, he provided the information. Minsan may mga cellphone yan, so nakikita rin natin yung laman. Based on that, may mga probable cause na tayo na dapat umaksiyon na tayo. Huwag na nating pabayaan pang lumalim pa (We can see what’s in the phone. Based on that, we have to take action. We won’t let it worsen),” Doria told reporters.
The other report Doria received was that the station official accepted payola from the group of suspected drug lord Franz Sabalones.
Not in list
The name of the police official was not included in the matrix of drug protectors of Sabalones.
Doria did not name the official pending the result of the investigation. This officer is not the chief of Pardo Police Station, Senior Insp. Robert Lucernas, who was accused of accepting a bribe from three suspected drug personalities.
Doria said he may relieve the police official and recommend his transfer to other unit outside Central Visayas.
Meanwhile, the CCPO’s intelligence branch has an initial finding on the accusation against Lucernas and his nine personnel accused of protecting big-time drug pushers.
Doria said they will not publicize their findings unless the Police Regional Office 7 is already done with their investigation.
Lucernas had denied the allegations.
Payola
The informant alleged that the drug pushers gave a weekly payola of P10,000 to Lucernas, two policemen who hold a rank of Senior Police Officer 4, a Senior Police Officer 2, and six rookie police officers.
The nine non-commissioned officers often visited the houses of the three drug dealers, the informant said.
The informant further accused the police of releasing a suspected drug pusher they had arrested. The operatives also allegedly kept the seven packs of shabu and P200,000 in cash confiscated from the pusher.
