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The Philippine National Police (PNP) has requested the assistance of the Anti‑Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to trace financial transactions linked to a suspected methamphetamine smuggling operation that was intercepted at Luang Prabang Airport in Laos on 11 October. During a briefing at Camp Crame on Wednesday, PNP spokesperson Colonel Allen Rae Co said investigators were examining evidence, including the movement of funds allegedly used to finance the shipment. “The financial investigation, we have also asked the AMLC, so the AMLC was also there yesterday, and we are now in the process of evaluating all the evidence that we have compiled for the eventual joint transmittal of the case. It will be jointly transmitted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the PNP,” Co said. Co explained that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and PDEA have divided investigative responsibilities following a case conference earlier this week. The CIDG will focus on gathering statements, issuing subpoenas and investigating persons of interest, while both agencies coordinate their criminal and financial investigations. “So the task of the CIDG under the PNP is to investigate and take statements from people. So we are jointly investigating and what we are doing right now is criminal and financial investigation,” he added. Three individuals have yet to comply with subpoenas issued by the CIDG. The PNP did not disclose their identities but warned that failure to appear could lead authorities to seek indirect contempt proceedings. Among the persons of interest identified in the investigation are former Bangsamoro Transition Authority parliament member Edrieza Nasser Rimbang, who is suspected of financing the operation; pilot Rioklyn “Boyet” Toledo, who allegedly arranged a charter flight from Malaysia through Laos to the Philippines; Police Executive Master Sergeant Aileen Mendoza, who reportedly coordinated the shipment’s intended arrival in the Philippines; and Abdulahkarim Macalatas, the named consignee. The allegations against these individuals remain under investigation. Rimbang’s brother‑in‑law, Fahad Mulok Dibarosan, was reportedly arrested in Laos on 1 October after authorities discovered illegal drugs in luggage allegedly intended for transport to the Philippines. The CIDG is evaluating possible charges under Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, for those involved in the smuggling operation. Article source: The Daily Tribune | Image credit: The Daily Tribune
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has requested the assistance of the Anti‑Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to trace financial transactions linked to a suspected methamphetamine smuggling operation that was intercepted at Luang Prabang Airport in Laos on 11 October. During a briefing at Camp Crame on Wednesday, PNP spokesperson Colonel Allen Rae Co said investigators were examining evidence, including the movement of funds allegedly used to finance the shipment. “The financial investigation, we have also asked the AMLC, so the AMLC was also there yesterday, and we are now in the process of evaluating all the evidence that we have compiled for the eventual joint transmittal of the case. It will be jointly transmitted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the PNP,” Co said. Co explained that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and PDEA have divided investigative responsibilities following a case conference earlier this week. The CIDG will focus on gathering statements, issuing subpoenas and investigating persons of interest, while both agencies coordinate their criminal and financial investigations. “So the task of the CIDG under the PNP is to investigate and take statements from people. So we are jointly investigating and what we are doing right now is criminal and financial investigation,” he added. Three individuals have yet to comply with subpoenas issued by the CIDG. The PNP did not disclose their identities but warned that failure to appear could lead authorities to seek indirect contempt proceedings. Among the persons of interest identified in the investigation are former Bangsamoro Transition Authority parliament member Edrieza Nasser Rimbang, who is suspected of financing the operation; pilot Rioklyn “Boyet” Toledo, who allegedly arranged a charter flight from Malaysia through Laos to the Philippines; Police Executive Master Sergeant Aileen Mendoza, who reportedly coordinated the shipment’s intended arrival in the Philippines; and Abdulahkarim Macalatas, the named consignee. The allegations against these individuals remain under investigation. Rimbang’s brother‑in‑law, Fahad Mulok Dibarosan, was reportedly arrested in Laos on 1 October after authorities discovered illegal drugs in luggage allegedly intended for transport to the Philippines. The CIDG is evaluating possible charges under Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, for those involved in the smuggling operation.
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