Former Senator Trillanes Files Drug Smuggling Charges Against Paolo Duterte and Others

MANILA — Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has lodged drug smuggling charges against Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte, former Customs Chief Nicanor Faeldon, and several others, alleging their involvement in a PHP6.4-billion shabu shipment intercepted in Valenzuela City in 2017. The complaint was filed with the Department of Justice on Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, the charges stem from a 2017 Senate legislative inquiry that initially led to the prosecution of Chinese businessman Chen Ju Long, also known as Richard Tan, and Filipino broker Mark Taguba. The inquiry revealed that the shipment of illegal drugs arrived at the Manila International Container Port in May 2017 and was expedited through customs processing, eventually leaving the port under suspicious circumstances. During Senate proceedings, Tan claimed to be an informant for the Chinese government, while Taguba implicated him as the principal in the smuggling operation, suggesting that Tan utilized a middleman and had connections to what is referred to as the “Davao Group.”

The complaint highlights the alleged ease with which Taguba’s transactions were handled following his engagements with the Davao Group, bypassing normal customs checks. Also named in the charges are former Presidential Adviser on Indigenous Peoples’ Concerns Allen Capuyan, Davao City Councilor Small Abellera, businessman Charlie Tan, and four others.

In response, Rep. Duterte welcomed the legal proceedings, emphasizing his preference for addressing the accusations in a court of law over what he described as “trial by publicity.” Duterte expressed confidence in clearing his name through the judicial process and referenced ongoing libel cases he filed against Trillanes stemming from similar accusations made in 2018.