CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga—The officer in charge of the Land Transportation Office provincial bureau in Tarlac, who police said is a “high value target” on their drug watch lists, was arrested Thursday by authorities at barangay San Roque in Tarlac City.
In a press statement, Chief Superintendent Amador Corpus, Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3) director, said Rogel Yambao was a “level 2 high value target” in the police’s campaign against illegal drugs.
On Wednesday, operatives from the intelligence branch and the drug enforcement unit of the Tarlac Provincial Police Office executed a search warrant issued by Executive Judge Lily De Vera-Vallo of Tarlac City Regional Trial Court Branch 64 against Yambao for drug possession
Authorities seized from Yambao’s home nine plastic sachets of suspected shabu, one hand grenade, and 17 cartridges for a caliber .45 gun, said Senior Supt. Fe Grenas, chief public information officer of PRO 3.
Yambao did not resist and gave up peacefully, Grenas said.
The LTO official will faces charges of violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, illegal possession of explosives under RA 9516, and of RA 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Act.
“The arrest of Yambao, who is a high ranking official of LTO, only goes to show that more unscrupulous government workers are involved in illegal drugs, and we continue to launch operations against all who are included in our target list and watch list,” Corpus said.
Yambao was arrested on the same day new National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde visited the PRO3 headquarters in Camp Olivas to underscore the PNP’s continued campaign against illegal drugs.
The arrest of the provincial LTO chief, who is now detained at the local police station, shocked his erstwhile subordinates, coworkers and employees of the agency in Tarlac.