MANILA, Philippines — A Manila-based “drug queen” has been purchasing confiscated illegal drugs from law enforcers, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Aaron Aquino revealed Monday.

Aquino disclosed the existence of the crook and the illicit modus during the Senate finance sub-committee hearing on PDEA’s proposed budget for 2020.

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“Ngayon ko lang sasabihin ‘to… na meron tayong drug queen dito sa Manila na ang ginagawa lang eh bumibili ng drugs coming from law enforcement agencies,” he said.

According to Aquino, PDEA has been hatching an operation to apprehend Manila’s “drug queen.”

Senator Franklin Drilon then asked the PDEA chief if he could divulge the identity of the female drug lord. But Aquino politely declined.

“We will conduct operation first, neutralize muna namin, Sir, yung drug queen na ito,” Aquino said.

Earlier in the same hearing, Aquino admitted that “recycling” of illegal drugs seized from buy-bust operations is “still rampant.”

READ: PDEA chief admits ‘recycling’ of drugs ‘still rampant’

In a phone interview with INQUIRER.net, Aquino said PDEA conducted in the last quarter of 2018 an operation against the drug queen.

But the sting was unsuccessful because “somebody leaked” it, he also said.

“‘Yung operation, may case operation plan, it was ready and may plano na kaming banggain, i-neutralize ‘yung (drug queen sa) operation na ‘yun,” Aquino recalled. “Unfortunately, somebody leaked yung operation na ‘yun, kaya nag negative ‘yung operation, hindi na lang namin tinuloy kasi the information (was leaked); sumibat ‘yung drug queen.”

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Nevertheless, Aquino assured PDEA would still pursue an operation to catch the female drug lord.

“Time will come, iko-continue namin ‘yung case operation plan, ‘yung naumpisahan namin,” he said.

“Pero siyempre, it will be confidential. Kailangan ulit naming kumalap ng mga intelligence reports ulit, kung ano na ‘yung mga modus nila. Pero somehow ganun pa rin ‘yung ginagawa nila, na bumibili pa rin sila ng drugs (from law enforcers),” he added. /kga

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