The Philippine National Police- Integrity and Monitoring Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG) arrested a member of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) after he was caught using a seized motorcycle in Marikina City last Tuesday.

Police Brigadier General Ronald Lee, IMEG director, said Patrolman Orlando Perez, 43, was arrested in his residence at Kagitingan St, Calumpang, Marikina City around 4:50 pm.

In a separate statement, NCRPO chief Police Major General Debold Sinas said the motorcycle was brought by Perez to his residence for his personal use.

Sinas said Perez was discovered to be part of remnants of the NCRPO personnel suspected involved in drugs, specifically, pilferages of evidence and “hulidap” but not reported.

Lee said Perez was caught by IMEG, NCRPO, and Highway Patrol Group operatives after they received an intelligence report that the suspect did not declare a recovered motorcycle which they confiscated from an anti-illegal drug operation in the same city last April 5.

''There will be no respite in the crackdown against scalawags amid the enhanced community quarantine against COVID-19,” he said.

“This is in line with our continuing effort to identify and arrest PNP personnel who illegally use recovered and carnapped vehicles and motorcycles that were inventoried as evidence in police operations as part of the massive internal cleansing program ordered by the chief PNP, General Archie Francisco Gamboa,” he added.

Lee said NCRPO asked them to pursue filing criminal and administrative charges against the suspect and to determine his other possible cohorts with the help of the NCRPO-Regional Intelligence Division.

Sinas added Perez was former personnel of Station DEU of Marikina City Police and member of the group of a relieved police lieutenant, who was caught red handed in pilfering 17 grams of shabu from the recovered 30 grams in a joint RDEU and Marikina City Police Station Anti-Drug Operation last April 6, 2020.

“All personnel of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit, NCRPO will be relieved and reassigned to other NCRPO units. They will also be subjected to drug test on April 2,” Sinas said.

Interrogation will be conducted by NCRPO and IMEG to find out depth of their involvement in illegal drugs activities in NCRPO.

Perez is in the custody of the PNP-IMEG for proper disposition and filing of appropriate charges. Ella Dionisio/DMS