PDEA seeks indictment of Faeldon, 11 others for alleged involvement in shabu smuggling

September 19, 2017

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has sought the indictment of former Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and 11 other officials of the Bureau of Customs before the Department of Justice for alleged conspiracy to import illegal drugs and protecting drug traffickers in connection with the smuggling of P6.4 billion shabu shipment seized last May.

In a 23-page complaint filed on Monday, the PDEA sought for prosecution of Faeldon and the other BOC officers for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

Faeldon and other BOC officers were also accused of obstruction of justice under Presidential Decree No. 1829 by "harboring or concealing, or facilitating the escape" of the persons behind the shabu shipment.

The agency also asked the indictment of Faeldon and other respondents for negligence and tolerance under Article 208 of the Revised Penal Code.

PDEA also filed charges of corrupt practices of public officers for allegedly "causing any undue injury to any party, including the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence."

The other eleven respondents include former BOC directors Milo Maestrecampo and Neil Anthony Estrella; intelligence officers Joel Pinawin and Oliver Valiente; Manila International Container Port district collector Vincent Phillip Maronilla;  Faeldon's financée Jeline Maree Magsuci; and BOC employees Alexandra Ventura, Randolph Cabansag, Dennis Maniego, Dennis Cabildo and John Edillor.

The anti-narcotics agency stressed that the importation of the illegal drug shipment would have not been possible if not for the "incompetence and corruption of the Bureau of Customs officials."

"The said incompetence and corruption effectively shielded and facilitated the escape of Chen Ju Long and prevented his immediate arrest and prospective prosecution for the importation of the 602.279 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu," the complaint stated.

"As can be culled from the proceeding discussion, the gross inexcusable negligence, manifest partiality, or bad faith of Commissioner Faeldon, Dir. Maestrecampo, Dir. Estrella, Pinawin, Valiente, Atty. Maronilla, Ventura, Cabansag, Maniego, Cabildo, and Editor made possible the importation of 602.279 kilograms of shabu and the evasion of Chen Ju Long from being arrested and prosecuted," the complaint said.

PDEA filed illegal drug importation charges against  Chen Ju Long, Chen Rong Juan, Manny Li, Kenneth Dong, Mark Taguba II, Teejay Marcellana, Eirene May Tatad, Emily Dee, Chen I-Min and Jhu Ming Jyun as alleged importers and facilitators of the shabu shipment.

It also included in the charge sheet the directors and officers of Hong Fei Logistics Inc., the warehouse where the shabu shipment was seized - Genelita Arayan, Dennis Nocom, Zhang Hong, Rene Palle, Richard Rebistual and Mary Rose Dela Cruz.

PDEA's complaint is separate from the complaint for drug smuggling filed by the National Bureau of Investigation against the importers and brokers of the shipment, which is undergoing preliminary investigation before the DOJ.  DMS