Five days before his scheduled deployment to Camarines Sur province, an Army lieutenant was arrested with two others in a drug sting that set off a car chase in Quezon City on Wednesday night. The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said 2nd Lt. Hamel Samsodin, 31, was commissioned as a reserve officer in 2009, went into active duty in 2016, but had been involved in the illegal drug trade since 2011. Also confiscated from the suspects were a hand grenade, two .45-caliber pistols and the Hyundai Accent sedan that they used in their escape attempt. Guillermo Eleazar, QCPD director, investigators learned about Samsodin’s drug activities following the arrest of five men for illegal drug and gun possession on Feb. 12 also in Pasong Tamo. The Army officer was set for deployment as a platoon leader under the 83rd Infantry Brigade in Pili, Camarines Sur, on March 12, Eleazar added.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 08, 2018 22:41 UTC