Cocaine seized from cop may hint Sinaloa drug cartel imprint —PNP

The incident in which a cop was caught using cocaine in Taguig City has shown that the Sinaloa Mexican drug cartel could have entered the Philippines, according to Philippine National Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Benigno Durana on Friday.

"I think this is indicative of the fact that the Sinaloa cartel have probably infiltrated the drug industry in our country that's why the President said we must be relentless and chilling in our campaign, the war on drugs... it's far from over," Durana said in an interview on ANC.

Sinaloa Cartel is an international drug trafficking group which was based in Mexico.

President Rodrigo Duterte, in 2016, remarked that the said drug syndicate had been active in the Philippines.

Police Officer 1 Redentor Bautista was caught using cocaine inside a comfort room during a Halloween party at a high-end bar. Authorities seized .04 grams of cocaine and a piece of straw, which he supposedly used to snort drugs, from him.

Durana reiterated that Bautista, who is now detained, would be slapped with criminal and administrative charges.

Durana also emphasized that the police force would not tolerate erring cops, adding that Bautista's case does not represent the whole PNP.

"We have to state this clearly that the Philippine National Police, while we're tough on crimes, we are far tougher against our erring personnel. This, I would say, is a fluke... he doesn't represent the entire service personnel who are professional, honest and dedicated," Durana said.

Bautista, who joined the force in 2013, reportedly called in sick just to attend a party amid preparations by the PNP to implement stricter security measures for the observance of All Saints' Day. —Anna Felicia Bajo/LBG, GMA News