Ex-Customs intel agent Guban out of witness protection — DOJ chief

Former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban is now under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after the Department of Justice (DOJ) terminated his witness protection coverage, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Friday.

Guban had been served a warrant of arrest following his indictment for illegal drug importation in connection with the multibillion-peso shabu shipments found concealed in magnetic lifters in Manila and Cavite last year.

Prior to the indictment, he had been placed under the DOJ's Witness Protection Program upon the request of Senator Richard Gordon, during a Senate investigation into the magnetic lifters case.

"Considering that the inquiry had been concluded and threats to Guban's security had been reduced to manageable levels, we terminated his WPP coverage," Guevarra said in a message to reporters.

By then, the DOJ prosecutors who investigated the magnetic lifters case had found probable cause to charge Guban and seven other alleged co-conspirators, Guevarra said.

When a court issued warrants of arrest, "the NBI took custody of Guban before he could disappear," he said.

"He will remain in NBI custody until the prosecution has determined during the trial if he could be recommended for discharge to become a state witness," the Justice chief added.

Law enforcement agents have launched a manhunt for dismissed police official Eduardo Acierto, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency deputy director for administration Ismael Fajardo, and the other accused who remain at large. — RSJ, GMA News