Alleged ‘ninja cops’ plead not guilty to criminal charges

Eleven of 12 police officers accused of misappropriating the drugs they had seized in Pampanga have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges over the 2013 operation.

The policemen entered a not-guilty plea to charges under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, qualified bribery, and graft during their arraignment at the Pampanga Regional Trial Court Branch 44 on Friday.

S/Insp. Joven B. De Guzman, Jr, SPO1 Jules L Maniago, SPO1 Donald C. Roque, SPO1 Ronald B. Santos, SPO1 Rommel M. Vital, SPO1 Alcindor M. Tinio, PO3 Dante M. Dizon, PO3 Dindo S. Dizon, PO3 Gilbert A. De Vera, PO3 Romeo E. Guerrero and SPO1 Eligio D. Valeroso were arraigned.

Police Major Rodney Raymundo Louie Juico Baloyo IV will be arraigned on March 13.

The so-called "ninja cops" were charged for not declaring the full quantity of the illegal drugs they seized in a November 29, 2013 operation in Mexico, Pampanga and for implicating the wrong person for the contraband.

Prosecutors filed charges against them for misappropriating confiscated drugs, planting evidence, and delaying and bungling the prosecution of drug cases, qualified bribery, and graft.

The officers were also found to have failed to account for a seized Toyota Fortuner and claimed that they obtained only P300,000 from the operation despite evidence showing they got P10 million, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The DOJ also found probable cause to charge former Philippine National Police chief Police General Oscar Albayalde -- who was then the chief of Pampanga police -- with graft over the same operation. Its findings were endorsed to the Office of the Ombudsman.

During Friday's arraignment, Santos and Guerrero pleaded not guilty to the charge of violating Dangerous Drug Board regulations in the chain of custody of evidence.

The court scheduled the marking of evidence for April 14. —LDF, GMA News