The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has expanded its crackdown in the Philippine National Police (PNP) to cover drug bust operations as early as 2016.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla made the announcement during a joint press briefing with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Malacanang last Monday to give updates the case of Police Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo, a member of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group.

"This is my personal opinion, that there appears to be a grand conspiracy to conceal a criminal enterprise within the PNP," Remulla said.

Mayo was arrested in 2022 following a buy-bust operations in Tondo.

From December 13 2024 to January 9 2025, the Napolcom En Banc issued the following sanction: 21 respondents were dismissed from the service; 16 respondents were demoted in rank; four respondents were suspended for six months and 12 respondents’ cases were dismissed.

It also recommended to the Office of the President the dismissal from the service of three respondents, who are presidential appointees.

Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon said they recommended filing of cases for violation of Section 29 for planting of evidence and Section 92, for delay and bungling in the prosecution of drug cases of Republic Act 9165 against 30 of the respondents.

"These cases have now been filed and now are pending before the Regional Trial Courts of Manila. We understand that for the last information provided to us, warrants of arrest have already been issued," Fadullon said.

Remulla said the misappropriation of confiscated illegal drugs become institutionalized from 2016 to 2022 or during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

"It seems that it became a standard procedure of some elements of PNP to have a drug haul, report some of it, then store most of it in warehouses," Remulla said. DMS