Trillanes files drug smuggling, graft charges vs Paolo Duterte, 9 others

MANILA, Philippines —  Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Wednesday filed drug and graft complaints against Rep. Paolo Duterte (Davao City, 1st District) and nine others over the P6.4 billion worth of shabu shipment seized in Valenzuela City in 2017.

In a 47-page complaint filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ), the charges were filed against Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, Mans Carpio, former Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon and others who allegedly conspired for the entry of the shabu shipment.

The cases filed against the respondents are a violation of Section 4 concerning Section 26 (a) of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 as amended by Republic Act 10640 and Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The complaint also includes former Presidential Adviser on Indigenous Peoples’ Concerns Allen Capuyan, Davao City Councilor Small Abellera, Charlie Tan and four others.

“Ang pinaka-drug lord dito ay si Charlie Tan na kapartner ito ni Michael Yang...Tapos ang naging protektor ay sila Pulong at Mans Carpio. Ang naging facilitators naman nito na naipasok ito at naipuslit palabas ng customs ay sina Faeldon, sina Allen Kapuyan at iba pa na namention doon sa case,” Trillanes said in an ambush interview with reporters. 

(The main drug lord here is Charlie Tan, who is a partner of Michael Yang... Then the protectors were Pulong and Mans Carpio. The facilitators who helped smuggle it in and out of customs were Faeldon, Allen Capuyan, and others mentioned in the case.)

The case originated from a May 2017 incident in when a 602.2-kilogram crystal meth, valued at P6.4 billion, were released by the Bureau of Customs in the Manila International Container Port. 

Months after the incident, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee held a series of public hearings, which exposed that the contraband was granted a "green lane" passage to bypass the Bureau of Customs’ alert system and was not subjected physical inspection and document verification. 

“Dito mo makikita na fake ang War on Drugs ni Duterte. Libu-libo ang mga pinatay na hinihinalang drug addicts pero sila mismo pala ang protektor at kapartner ng mga big