Duterte protected suspected drug lords Yang, Lim, says ex-cop

ALLEGED PROTECTOR. Former Police Col. Eduardo Acierto accuses former President Rodrigo Duterte of protecting suspected drug lords Michael Yang and Allan Lim during the hearing of the House Quad Committee on Thursday (Nov. 7, 2024).  (Screengrab by PNA)

MANILA – Former Police Colonel Eduardo Acierto on Thursday accused former President Rodrigo Duterte of protecting suspected drug lords Michael Yang and Allan Lim.

During the hearing of the House Quad Committee, Acierto submitted an intelligence report in 2017 detailing Yang and Lim’s involvement in the illegal drug trade, but this was ignored by high-ranking officials.

Yang, a former economic adviser to Duterte, and Lim, also known as Lin Weixiong, were reportedly “close friends” of the former president, according to Acierto.

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Acierto alleged he and his team faced retaliation, citing the 2019 abduction of Police Captain Lito Perote and the 2021 killing of MSgt. Gerry Liwanag.

“Sigurado po ako dahil sa mga nangyari sa akin at nangyari sa mga kasamahan ko ay very obvious po na siya yung nag-protect, prinotektahan niya si Michael Yang at si Allan Lim,” Acierto said.

(I am sure because of what happened to me and what happened to my subordinates, it is very obvious that he [Duterte] was the one who protected…he protected Michael Yang and Allan Lim.)

In an intelligence report compiled by Acierto’s team, Yang allegedly operated drug labs in Mindanao since the early 2000s, including a Davao City facility raided in 2004, where authorities seized over 100 kilos of shabu valued at more than P300 million.

Based on the drug matrix prepared by Acierto’s team, Yang is also linked to the Johnson Chua drug syndicate led by Johnson Co, a figure purportedly based in China.

Acierto claimed that Yang and Lim facilitated the entry of illegal drugs with alleged support from officials in the Bureau of Customs.

Lim was said to be behind a Cavite drug laboratory raided by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in July 2018, which yielded P10.4 billion in illegal drugs and equipment.

Acierto said Lim was arrested during the operation but was later released due to technicalities.

The former officer further alleged that Yang provided shipping documents for the entry of illegal drugs recovered in a Cagayan de Oro warehouse, which was operated by a certain Allan Sy, in 2005.

Acierto submitted the report to then Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, now Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, former PDEA Director Aaron Aquino, and former Police Deputy Director General Camilo Cascolan.

He also sent them to Dela Rosa’s successor, former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, but claimed that no action was taken.

“Wala silang ginawa, pinabayaan nila ang report (They didn’t do anything. They ignored the report).,” Acierto said. “Hanggang sa umabot na hindi ma-dispute ang report, ako at ang team ko ang siniraan (Until it reached a point where my report cannot be disputed, my team and I suffered slander).”

Acierto said he felt betrayed, as soon after submitting the report, he was accused by Duterte of being involved in illegal drugs.

In October 2018, Duterte publicly named Acierto as one of the police officials allegedly linked to illegal drugs.

Acierto was later implicated in the smuggling of P11 billion worth of drugs concealed in magnetic lifters, which were found at the Manila International Container Port and in a warehouse in Cavite in 2018. He has been in hiding since 2019. (PNA)