To get rid of the drugs, get rid of the drug lord.

This was the simple solution suggested by some inmates of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City to Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Oscar Calderon, who recently discovered that illegal drugs were just as widespread behind bars as they are outside the country’s main jail facility.

The concerned inmates pointed to one of their own, 40-year-old Peter Co, a Fil-foreigner, as the undisputed drug lord at the NBP and one of the “tough guys” of the penal facility.

They said Co, who had been convicted of drug trafficking, brought his trade inside the jail facility, creating a horde of drug peddlers and abusers. Co is also known to beat up other inmates as he had become a powerful figure inside the walls, the inmates told Calderon.

Calderon on Wednesday led a surprise inspection-turned-shakedown of the NBP wherein several prisoners were caught sniffing “shabu” inside Co’s Cell No.2-D, Building 8 of the maximum security compound.

Co, sentenced to jail over 10 years ago by a local court, yielded some 30 grams of shabu, a sizeable amount of the illegal substance. Authorities also recovered shabu from two other buildings of the cramped compound.

Sources said Co was once kicked out of the NBP and moved to a penal colony in Leyte during the time of former BuCor chief Dionisio Santiago after co-inmates and compound employees petitioned for his transfer.

However, the Fil-foreign prisoner was returned to NBP in early 2008 and has since gone back to his old tricks.

According to the concerned inmates, Calderon should re-transfer Co to another penal system if he is truly serious in ridding the NBP of its current drug problem.

Calderon has already promised a reorganization of jail guards at the maximum security compound in order to weed out those who have allowed and tolerated the entry of illegal drugs at the national penitentiary.

Charges will also be filed against the erring jail guards, the BuCor chief said.

The bureau has put inmates in disciplinary cells at the NBP in Muntinlupa City as part of sanctions against them following their arrest this week for possession of shabu and cellular phones.
Police Supt. Bartolome Bustamante, head executive assistant of the Office of the Director, identified inmates who were involved in the incidents as Wu Tuan Yuan (alias Peter Co), Andy Li, Eduardo Villar, Felix Santos, Warren dela Cruz, Reynan Carreon and Juan Batemana.

They were caught in possession of shabu and cellular phones during a surprise inspection by prison authorities. Prisoners are barred from having cellular phones, based on prison rules.

Criminal case was filed against Wu, 44, and Ramon Crespo, 45, for possession of illegal drugs, according to records from the Muntinlupa City Prosecutor’s Office. Bustamante said the Bucor found probable cause to charge them.

The Bucor’s Board of Discipline is currently investigating the incidents and if they are found guilty, the inmates’ good conduct time allowance (GCTA) may be suspended.

The Manila Bulletin has found that Wu has had similar violations dating back to 2003 while in detention at the NBP. (With a report from Jonathan Hicap)