Tinga Drug Syndicate Member Gets Life

A member of the notorious Tinga drug syndicate which used to operate in Taguig City and was arrested  by undercover agents  for drug trafficking has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

In a 12-page court decision released on September 20, 2016, Judge Antonio Olivete of the Regional Trial Court of Taguig, Branch 267 found Joel Tinga guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of selling shabu and was meted out the maximum penalty of reclusion perpetua.

Records show that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), then headed by retired Gen. Dionisio Santiago, conducted a buy-bust operation after receiving reports that Tinga had a huge stash of illegal drugs ready to be sold to shabu users in the city. During the entrapment operations, the poseur-buyer handed to Tinga a cash bundle amounting to P60,000 in exchange for 10 grams of shabu contained in a  heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet. Tinga was apprehended by the agents and chemical examination revealed that the substance he sold was indeed shabu.

Besides the penalty of life imprisonment, Tinga was also ordered by the court to pay the fine of P500,000. The court then directed the city jail officials to transfer him to the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa.

Police records show  Joel Tinga was one of the members of the Tinga drug syndicate that has been busted by the police authorities.  The other members who have been arrested and have been facing drug charges include  Elisa, Henry, Joana, Fernando, Allan Carlos, Alberto, and Bernardo- all bearing the surname Tinga.

Following PDEA’s link analysis and background investigation, the convict  Joel Tinga was identified as a cousin of former Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga.

During its heyday, the Tinga Drug Syndicate sold drugs not only in Taguig but also in other parts of Metro Manila.