16 ‘ninja cops’ allegedly colluding with drug queen

National Capital Region (NCR) police chief Major General Guillermo Eleazar on Tuesday linked 16 "ninja cops" to a drug syndicate operating in Metro Manila.

According to Ivan Mayrina’s report for Balitanghali, Eleazar revealed the information during a meeting with 44 heads of police drug enforcement units in the region.

Eleazar said that nine of the 16 alleged ninja cops are already dead, while two are retired, two have been dismissed, two have gone AWOL, and one is in jail.

Eleazar said the police have already conducted five operations against the syndicate, run by an alleged drug queen identified by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. A number of people have been killed, convicted, and jailed in connection with these operations.

The NCR police chief also said the drug queen is currently out of the country.

He added that the she is a current barangay chairperson in Sampaloc, Manila, while her husband is a former barangay chief as well and her sibling is a dismissed ninja cop.

Authorities also believe that she has civilian cohorts, including government officials.

Eleazar insisted that the PNP has made continuous efforts to clean its ranks and reminded drug operation units not to tolerate deviant operatives. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News