FROM SUPER COP TO ‘NARCO-COP’

Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) gather evidence near the sprawled body of SPO1 Adonis Dumpit who was killed in an alleged shootout with agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday morning, June 27, 2018 in Barangay San Isidro, Tagbilaran City. The multi-awarded cop, who was the face of Cebu City’s war on illegal drugs and criminality when he was still the close-in aide of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, was ironically killed as he was allegedly about to deliver “stocks” of shabu (inset) to his clients in Tagbilaran City. PHOTOS/ HERWIN SAPONG

Dumpit killed in drug bust in Bohol; NBI claims policeman involved in delivery of drugs and coddled drug lords

It was an unexpected twist that could only be seen in the movies.

SPO1 Adonis Dumpit, a multi-awarded policeman who earned a reputation in early 2000 for hunting down petty criminals in Cebu City, was allegedly a drug coddler who was involved in the delivery of illegal drugs in Bohol.

He was killed in an alleged shootout with operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) in Barangay San Isidro, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, past 8 a.m. on Wednesday when they came to arrest him.

At least 15 medium-sized sachets of shabu with a street value of P90,000 were later found inside the pocket of Dumpit’s pants.

Lawyer Rennan Augustus Oliva, chief of the NBI-Bohol, said he too was shocked when he first learned about the involvement of Dumpit in the illegal drugs trade.

But he maintained that Dumpit, who used the code name “Daddy,” was a high-level target who delivered illegal drugs and coddled drug pushers.

The NBI-Bohol, he added, had a “matrix” to show Dumpit’s sources and connections but would not release it pending follow-up investigation.

Dumpit was the fourth policeman on the government’s “narco list” or was linked to the illegal drugs trade, who was killed in Central Visayas in a span of 18 days.

The 55-year-old policeman had been assigned in Bohol since August 2016, shortly after he was released from the Leyte Regional Penitentiary in Abuyog town in Leyte after the Court of Appeals allowed him to post bail pending appeal of his homicide case.

Dumpit was convicted of homicide for shooting dead a 17-year-old robbery suspect in Barangay Tejero, Cebu City, on Dec. 14, 2004.

A police official, who requested anonymity, said it was in jail where Dumpit was introduced to drug lords.

Oliva told in a news conference on Wednesday that the NBI received a request from the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) to conduct a probe on Dumpit who allegedly threatened one of the police officers who arrested Sergio Tajanlangit on accusations of selling drugs last May 25.

“Accordingly, he (Dumpit) tried to negotiate with the arresting officers, especially the team leader, to downgrade the cases to be filed against Tajanlangit from selling of illegal drugs (a non-bailable offense) to just possession of illegal drugs. The team leader refused,” the NBI-Bohol chief said.

“Days after, the police officer’s vehicle that was parked outside the Bohol Provincial Police Office was peppered with bullets. On that same date, at night, the policeman was threatened by the subject (Dumpit) and his cohorts,” he added.

Oliva said the policeman reported the matter to the BPPO which in turn endorsed it to the NBI.

The policeman’s family also relayed the incident to the government’s 8888 Complaint Hotline.

The policeman, who declined to be named for security reasons, said in a separate interview that what Dumpit did to him and his family were too much.

“Grabe iyang pang-harass nako ug sa akong pamilya kay nasuko siya nadakpan namo iyang tawo (He really harassed me and my family because he got angry when we arrested his underling),” he said.

The policeman said Dumpit used the code name “Daddy” in the drug group where he belonged.

Oliva said there was also one time when Dumpit called him and tried to intervene for the release of the policeman’s “asset” who was arrested on drug charges.

“I refused. After that, he didn’t called me up again,” he said.

A guard in a subdivision in Bohol also claimed that he was shot in the leg by Dumpit when he learned that the policeman was involved in the illegal drugs trade.

Out of fear, he kept quiet.

“Nakahibalo baya ta nga sharpshooter na siya, mao mahadlok sab ta musuko (We all knew that he was a sharpshooter, and I was afraid that he would get mad at me),” the guard said.

According to San Isidro village chief Fausto Budlong, Dumpit was a resident of the village for about two years.

Oliva said the NBI started monitoring Dumpit after receiving a formal request from the Bohol police to intervene.

The NBI-Bohol coordinated with various agencies such as the RID-7 and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group which all confirmed that Dumpit was a “narco-cop.”

Oliva said his team conducted surveillance operations on Dumpit for three months and found out that the controversial policeman would deliver illegal drugs from a supplier in Bohol when he was off duty.

“He (Dumpit) didn’t sell illegal drugs. What he did was deliver the prohibited substance to sellers, and when these sellers were arrested by the police, he would try to intervene and facilitate their release or make request to downgrade the charges,” he said.

When the information was found positive, the NBI and the RID decided to accost Dumpit.

Dumpit, who was not wearing his uniform, was intercepted by the operatives, along F. Dagohoy Circumferential Road in Purok 1, Barangay San Isidro, about 200 meters from his rented house in Barangay San Isidro at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday.

“The joint team of the NBI and the police went down of their vehicles and introduced themselves,” Oliva said.

But Dumpit, who was on board a motorcycle, allegedly got a .45 caliber gun tucked in his waist and fired at the arresting team.

Oliva said the operatives were left with no choice but to fire back, hitting Dumpit on the different parts of his head and body.

“We didn’t have any other option. We didn’t wait for any of us to be hurt,” he explained.

Oliva said the gun and motorcycle used by Dumpit were registered to another person whose identity the NBI refused to reveal pending investigation.

Lawyer Arvin Odron, director of the Commission on Human Rights in Central Visayas (CHR-7), said they would look into the circumstances surrounding Dumpit’s death to find out if proper procedures were followed.

“The CHR is still verifying the veracity of the alleged shootout. One of the mandates of the CHR is to monitor the government’s compliance with treaty obligations protecting human rights, hence, we will monitor and investigate, as much as possible, all killings in the hands of government forces,” he said.

Oliva said the NBI welcomed the probe conducted by the CHR-7 or any other agency, saying they could prove that the operation against Dumpit was legitimate.

“We really didn’t want to end his career this way. We would have wanted to simply arrest him and let the court decide on his fate. It’s just unfortunate that he fired at us,” he said.

Senior Supt. Remus Medina, chief of the Cebu-based RID-7, echoed the statement of the NBI, saying the operation was done within the bounds of the law. /with reports from Benjie B. Talisic and Morexette Marie Erram