DRUG LORDS FUNDING SMEAR DRIVE

Big-time drug lords are bankrolling a smear campaign against ranking police
officers closely identified with Philippine National Police Chief Egdar
Aglipay, after failing to stop the latter's appointment and six-month term
extension.

Federico Laciste Jr., chief of the Metro Manila Criminal Investigation and
Detection Group, cited the arrest of more than a dozen Chinese drug lords
and their local counterparts and the seizure of drugs and drug-making
equipment from 17 clandestine drug laboratories and warehouses as the
reason for the demolition job.

Laciste, a former intelligence officer of the PNP anti-illegal
drugs-special operations task force (AID-SOTF) which Aglipay used to head,
said the smear campaign became obvious after lawyers defending arrested
drug lords filed a petition for temporary restraining order (TRO) on
Aglipay's appointment and term extension.

"The lawyer who initiated the TRO case is the lead defense counsel of the
arrested suspects accused of operating three shabu laboratories in Mandaue
City," Laciste added.

The CIDG-Metro Manila chief also noted death threats to arresting officers
and witnesses in 43 ongoing court cases against drug lords.

Tighter security has been adopted to protect the officers and witnesses,
Laciste said.

Supt. Nelson Yabut, AID-SOTF Unit 1 chief, said drug lords have been hiring
top-caliber lawyers to help undermine overwhelming physical evidence
against them with flimsy allegations of irregularity in the conduct of
operations.

"A retired ranking police officer is now serving as one of the lawyers of
Jackson Dy, operator of a shabu laboratory in Tanza, Cavite," Yabut noted.