Albayalde warns drug-recycling ‘ninja cops’

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde yesterday assured that illegal drugs confiscated during police operations are not “recycled.”

Albayalde said the PNP Crime Laboratory has been conducting inventories of all illegal drugs and substances seized during police operations.

“When the courts ask for the drugs, they (policemen) should be able to present them,” said Albayalde in Filipino, adding the narcotics are properly weighed.

Albayalde warned policemen who would “recycle” drugs for personal gain that they would be meted punishment befitting their crime.

The issue of recycling drugs came to fore anew after a policeman accused of being a “ninja cop” was killed in a buy-bust operation in Morong, Rizal recently.

Policemen recycling drugs seized during operations to sell them to pushers are called “ninja cops” by their colleagues in the PNP.

Killed in that operation in Morong was PO2 Gemmo Meneses.