By Benjamin Pulta
MANILA – Former senator and Caloocan City mayoralty candidate Antonio Trillanes IV filed a supplemental affidavit before the Department of Justice on Monday to bolster the drug smuggling charges he filed against Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte, former Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon and lawyer Mans Carpio, among others, over the PHP6.4-billion shabu shipment seized in Valenzuela City in 2017.
In an interview, Trillanes said the additional evidence include those obtained in the hearings of the House of Representatives quad committee (quadcom).
“Nadinig natin sa quadcom, si Mark Taguba na sinasabi niya na nagbibigay sya ng pera ng protection kay Pulong Duterte, tapos napili sya to import itong shabu (We heard in the quadcom hearing that Mark Taguba said he gave money for protection to Pulong Duterte and that he was chosen to import this [shipment of] shabu). So, ultimately it leads to Mr. Pulong Duterte,” he said.
“Ito ‘yung the whole evidence na ginamit ng (This is the whole evidence used by the) prosecution to convict Mark Taguba. In addition to that, the affidavit of Mark Taguba and (and former customs intelligence officer) Jimmy Guban to reinforce and validate the involvement ni (of) Pulong.”
In the 37-page decision dated Nov. 18, 2024, the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46 found the businessman Taguba and co-accused, Eirene Mae Tatad and Dong Yi Shen (alias Kenneth Dong) guilty beyond reasonable doubt for violation of Section 4 of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
On May 26, 2017, agents of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency raided warehouses in Valenzuela City and found 605 kilos of shabu.
The shipment bypassed the BOC’s alert system and ended up in the “green lane” where imported goods were not required to undergo physical inspection and document verification. (PNA)
