The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has dismissed the camp commander and a commissioned officer at Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro province after the elaborate smuggling operation was uncovered earlier this week.
BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. announced the immediate removal of Corrections Chief Inspector Francisco Madrid, the camp commander, and Corrections Technical Inspector Edgar Laudencia.
Both officers have been reassigned to headquarters in Muntinlupa City pending a full investigation.
The operation began to unravel when security personnel noticed a dump truck parked suspiciously outside the perimeter of the prison hospital.
The vehicle, carrying what appeared to be construction materials, had attracted attention due to its unusual positioning.
When questioned, the driver, identified as Rob Antaran, presented a delivery permit allegedly signed by Madrid that authorized him to transport gravel and sand into the facility.
Security staff initially allowed the truck to proceed to the designated unloading area.
However, the driver’s subsequent refusal to unload the materials – claiming a hydraulic malfunction – raised immediate suspicions among officers.
Under further questioning, Antaran admitted that contraband items were concealed within the gravel and sand cargo.
Prison officials who searched the vehicle discovered a large cache of prohibited items hidden beneath the construction materials.
The confiscated contraband included 213 bottles of 1-liter Ginebra San Miguel gin, 48 bottles of 700ml Ginebra San Miguel gin, 16 bottles of 1-liter Jack Daniel’s whiskey, 2 bottles of 700ml Jack Daniel’s whiskey, 30 reams of Marlboro cigarettes containing 10 packets each, 69 reams of tobacco products with 10 packets per ream, 10 packages of tobacco containing 6 bricks each, and 37 individual tobacco pieces.
Director General Catapang has ordered a comprehensive review of security protocols at all operational prisons and penal farms.
The directive includes stricter vehicle inspection procedures, improved monitoring of entry permits, and increased random searches to prevent future smuggling attempts.
Photos: courtesy of BuCor
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