The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Police Commission (Napolcom) have filed multiple criminal charges against 50 police officers in connection with alleged concealment of 990kg of shabu seized from a colleague who was fired in October 2022. .
At a press conference on Tuesday, Home Secretary Benjamin “Ben-Hur” Avalos and the PNP’s PGen secretary said. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the charges were filed on Friday, June 9.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Santos, former deputy chief of PNP operations, was the highest-ranking police officer included in the indictment.
General Santos retired in March 2023.
Former Chief of PNP Drug Enforcement Group (DEG) Police BGen. Narciso Domingo was also named as a defendant.
The allegations stem from the arrest of now-dismissed Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr. in October 2022 after a series of anti-drug campaigns in Manila, where he was accused of nearly 1 tonne of shabu were seized.
According to police records, Mayo is a PNP-DEG agent.
With the exception of Santos and two other police officers, all other police officers charged were seen on video footage apparently taken before Mayo’s arrest.