Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday clarified that investigators have found no evidence linking the family of former President Rodrigo Duterte to a foiled P3.54-billion shabu shipment intercepted in Laos.
However, Remulla pointed to long-standing political connections between Duterte and the alleged financier behind the drug operation.
When asked during a press briefing if the Duterte family was involved in the massive 521-kilogram drug shipment, Remulla gave a direct assessment, “no evidence pointing to that.”
The drug seizure occurred on October 1 at Luang Prabang Airport in Laos, where local authorities intercepted a private jet after its pilot refused to allow cargo containing illegal drugs onboard. Laotian law enforcement seized the contraband and arrested a Filipino national, identified as Fahad Mulok Dibarosan, along with 12 Malaysian and Singaporean nationals.
While clearing the former First Family of direct ties to the shipment, Remulla highlighted the relationship between Duterte and former Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliament member Edrieza Nasser Rimbang, whom authorities identify as the key financier of the drug operation.
“But there is evidence pointing they know each other,” Remulla noted. “Rimbang ran in the same party. They are more than friends, they have been political allies for the longest time.”
The Interior Secretary raised questions regarding why Rimbang’s name never appeared on the government’s official drug watchlist during the previous administration’s campaign against illegal drugs, despite his reported criminal background during that period.
“I am wondering why Rimbang was not included in the watchlist during the drug war considering that he is a known drug element. Those are the questions we have to ask,” Remulla said.
“Rimbang, a known criminal, was not included in their watchlist and he conducted business freely during that time,” he added, emphasizing that government agencies will continue examining how the network operated unchecked.