The Taguig City Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of an alleged member of a “notorious” drug syndicate.
The local government of Taguig commended the local police force for the arrest of Bernardo Tinga, reputedly a member of the Tinga drug syndicate.
In a statement, Taguig police chief Col. Robert Baesa said Tinga, 56, was apprehended in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Ususan, Taguig City last Jan. 20.
Operatives of the Taguig Police substation-4 conducted the raid by virtue of a search warrant issued by Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 15-FC Judge Byron San Pedro.
A search on Tinga reportedly yielded some P95,000 worth of shabu, an unlicensed .45 caliber pistol, six .45 caliber ammunition and an empty .45 caliber magazine.
Police said Tiñga has a standing arrest warrant on drug charges issued by the Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 15.
“Taguig has a very strong anti-illegal drugs stance. In fact, Mayor Lani Cayetano herself has a marching order for the city to be rid of these illegal substances. We assure the public that the Taguig police will not rest until we achieve this goal,” Baesa said. The city police force has been credited for arresting members of the Tiñga drug ring and other high-value drug targets.
The Tinga syndicate has been tagged as a big-time crime group that operated in Taguig and other parts of Metro Manila.
Another member of the gang, identified as Joel Tiñga, was sentenced to life imprisonment on drug charges in 2016.
Noel’s wife, Elisa, who is a cousin of former Taguig Mayor Freddie Tiñga, was meted the same punishment in February 2017.
She was at that time the third most wanted person on the list of illegal drug personalities.
She was also the seventh member of the drug ring to fall into the hands of the police.
In 2020, a buy-bust led to the seizure of over P20 million worth of shabu and the arrest of Patrick Ace Tiñga.
“Taguig has a very strong anti-illegal drugs stance. In fact, Mayor Lani Cayetano herself has a marching order for the city to be rid of these illegal substances. We assure the public that the Taguig Police will not rest until we achieve this goal,” Baesa said. Joel Zurbano