2 groups lead drug operations in Bilibid — report

High-profile inmates Herbert Colangco and Jaybee Sebastian control the drug operations from the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), according to an intelligence report prepared by the Philippine National Police (PNP) two years ago.

The documents, copies of which were obtained by GMA News, identified Colangco as head of the Carcel Side and Sebastian as leader of the Presidio Side, in an exclusive report of GMA's Mariz Umali for "24 Oras."

Colangco's group is composed of inmates who hail from Visayas and Mindanao while Sebastian's group are prisoners from Luzon.

At least 7,000 inmates are under Colangco, a convicted armed robber and self-styled musician who managed to produce music videos inside the penitentiary in the past.

They belong to the Oxo Allied Group, which is composed of eight gangs, namely:

*Genuine Ilocano Group

*Batang City Jail

*Batang Mananalo o Batman

*Batang Cebu

*Batang Mindanao

*Batang Samar Leyte

*Batang Region Masbate

*Oxo

Colangco is allied with Sam Li Chua, also known as Sam Chua or Alex Chua, who is allegedly one of the most influential Chinese prisoners at the NBP, and Jeffrey "Jaguar" Diaz, a suspected top drug lord in Cebu.

Diaz allegedly had five distributors of illegal drugs who are only known through their aliases.

Diaz was released from jail in 2010 but was killed six years later in a shootout with Las Piñas City policemen last June.

Sebastian, on the other hand, controls four gangs with a combined membership of more than 5,000 inmates.

The groups are Sputnik, Commando, Happy Go Lucky Gang and Bahala na Gang.

In an interview, Senator Leila De Lima admitted she was aware of the existence of the two drug operating groups when she was still justice secretary.

The lawmaker said the intelligence reports prompted her to launch a raid inside the NBP, which yielded contraband like money, illegal drugs, cellphones, television sets, bladed weapons and sex toys.

However, the raids still failed to stamp out the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary.

De Lima could only point to corruption as culprit.

"These drug convicts were able to still transact business. Even if yung mga cellphones nga yan bawal dapat talaga 'yan. Pero meron silang binabayaran. Kinocorrupt nila mga jail guards, mga prison guards kaya nakakapasok 'yung mga cellphone na 'yan," De Lima said.  — Virgil Lopez/BAP, GMA News