• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Police Major Edgar Tonico, chief of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) Bacolod City Field Unit, has been identified as a protector of the e-sabong operations in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.
This was revealed by Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla in a press briefing on Monday (April 27).
Remulla said Tonico is under preventive custody at the Police Regional Office- Negros Island Region headquarters as the case build-up to charge him is ongoing.
Tonico was also linked earlier by Remulla to the large-scale manufacturing of illegal cigarettes in the nearby Bago City.
In separate raids in the cities of Bago and Bacolod, the joint operations of the PNP and the National Tobacco Administration netted almost P800 million worth of equipment, raw materials and finished products.
The raid in Bago also led to the arrest of 10 Chinese nationals.
The operation against the illegal online cockfighting operation in Barangay Concepcion, Talisay City resulted in the arrest of 30 individuals.
Authorities said the location is run by an organized group.
Remulla said the Chinese syndicate engaged in the illegal manufacture of cigarettes is also believed to be involved in the e-sabong operations in Talisay City that was the subject of a police raid on April 23.
Remulla said the two police operations were conducted by the CIDG operatives from Cebu and National Capital Region. | GB
