DOJ enlists help of military to find rumored drug lab in Bilibid

Unable to find a drug laboratory supposedly operating inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has decided to seek the help of the military to stamp out the illegal drug trade at the national penitentiary.

 

In an interview in Manila on Thursday, De Lima said she has tapped the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), as well as the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to help track down the lab and stop drug lords who are able to continue their operations even in detention.

 

"Narinig ko iyan (na may shabu lab sa loob) pero hindi pa na-verify. May naging operations na dati para hanapin iyong shabu lab sa loob pero so far hindi pa nahahanap," said De Lima.

 

She added: "Pinapahanap ko na iyon. Nagpatulong na ako sa PDEA and ISAFP in terms of intelligence work."

 

The Justice secretary suspected that if the rumored drug lab does exist, those who operate it have kept it well hidden from authorities.

 

"Kung meron, tago yan tagong-tago para hindi makita. So far, efforts to locate it are negative," she said.

 

De Lima meanwhile refused to confirm the existence of a certain "Magic 12" — a supposed group of a dozen drug lords operating inside the NBP — but confirmed authorities already have a list of alleged drug leaders inside the Muntinlupa facility.

 

An NBP prison guard, who refused to be identified, was earlier quoted in a GMA News "24 Oras" report as claiming he had worked at the NBP for four years and had access to the "medium to maximum security compound" where the "Magic 12" or "big-time" prisoners allegedly involved in drugs are detained.

 

Most of the components for these illegal drugs were allegedly sneaked in through Gate 4 beside the Inmates Visitation Service Unit, the guard said.

 

De Lima refused to elaborate on the ongoing operation and investigation to prevent alerting these supposed big-time drug lords.

 

She admitted there are drug lords jailed at the NBP enjoying a "privileged life inside."

 

"Nakakahingi agad sila o it's possible for them to be bringing in prohibited items, like laptops, aircon units, which are not available to ordinary inmates," said De Lima.

 

De Lima said the prison guard-to-inmate ratio at the NBP has slightly improved from higher than 1:70 to 1:50, although still short of the ideal 1:17.

 

One of the ways being eyed to help prevent illegal activities inside the NBP from proliferating is to build enough facilities to segregate prisoners based on their crimes, and keep these "big-time" and "influential" prisoners away from regular inmates. De Lima said such a segregation plan could take at least three years to prepare.

 

She earlier said authorities are looking into a possible conspiracy between NBP officials and drug lords.

 

De Lima had also disclosed that Bureau of Corrections Director Franklin Bucayu as well as prison guards at the NBP have received death threats from drug lords inside Bilibid. — JDS, GMA News