Financial probe launched into intercepted Laos drug shipment
The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced Wednesday that it has enlisted the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to trace the financial trail behind a massive methamphetamine shipment intercepted in Laos earlier this month.
PNP spokesperson Col. Allen Rae Co confirmed during a news conference at Camp Crame that investigators are evaluating financial records and physical evidence gathered in connection with the 11 October interdiction at Luang Prabang Airport.
“The financial investigation, we have also asked the AMLC, so the AMLC was also there yesterday, and we are now in the process of evaluating all the evidence that we have compiled for the eventual joint transmittal of the case,” Co said.
He also cited that the PNP will jointly transmit the criminal case with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Co said tracing the money trail is expected to bolster the case against key figures involved in funding and executing the international smuggling attempt.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) held a case conference with PDEA officials earlier this week to divide investigative tasks, including taking statements, issuing subpoenas, and conducting financial audits on identified persons of interest.
“So the task of the CIDG under the PNP is to investigate and take statements from people. So we are jointly investigating and what we are doing right now is criminal and financial investigation,” Co said.
Authorities disclosed that three persons of interest have failed to respond to CIDG subpoenas. Police urged them to surface or face legal ramifications.
“They know who they are. We are calling on them to appear before the CIDG because failure to appear, we can file a case against them for indirect contempt and of course they will lose the chance to have their sides be heard,” Co said, withholding the names of the three individuals.
Identified persons of interest in the ongoing investigation include former Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament member Edrieza Nasser Rimbang, suspected of financing the operation; charter pilot Rioklyn “Boyet” Toledo; Police Executive Master Sgt. Aileen Mendoza, accused of arranging local landing clearances; and Abdulahkarim Macalatas, listed as the shipment’s consignee.
The probe follows the 1 October arrest of Rimbang’s brother-in-law, Fahad Mulok Dibarosan, in Laos after Laotian authorities discovered illicit drugs packed inside luggage intended for a flight to the Philippines.
The CIDG and PDEA are preparing to file formal charges for violations of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.