MANILA, Philippines – Police are now investigating the extent of knowledge and possible involvement of two of its own men in the drug operations of a convicted drug lord and her daughter.

Chief Superintendent Joel Crisostomo Garcia, Police Security and Protection Group head, confirmed on Tuesday, November 7, that the PSPG is investigating Police Office 3 Walter Vidad and Police Officer 2 Faizal Sawadjaan  for possible involvement in the illicit trade.

Vidad and Sawadjaan were assigned to provide security to Diana Yu Uy, daughter of convicted drug pusher Yuk Lai Uy.

Vidad had earlier told the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which conducted the two separate drug operations, that he had been assigned to Uy for at least 4 years.

Garcia said Uy first applied for protective security in 2010. She was apparently a kidnap-for-ransom victim back in 2006.

The PSPG’s probe will initially focus on Vidad and Sawadjaan’s possible involvement in the drug trade. The investigation will not, at least for now, check why Uy made it past the PNP’s checks despite her apparent ties to illegal drugs.

Initially, Garcia said there were no reports linking Diana Uy to any crime, save for her apparent kidnapping back in 2006. There were also no mentions of her mother, Yuk Lai Yu, who was convicted in 2001 but had apparently continued running her illegal drugs empire even behind bars.

Garcia said that in the past, PSPG personnel reported to the PNP any illegal activities of their assigned VIPs.

The operation against Yuk Lai Yu and her daughter is one of the biggest of the PDEA since President Rodrigo Duterte tasked it as the sole agency in charge of his drug war. – Rappler.com