By CESAR JOLITO III

A police major assigned in Bacolod City has been named by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla as allegedly linked to illegal cigarette operations, online cockfighting and possible connections to a Chinese triad and businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang.

Remulla identified the officer as Police Major Edgar Tonico Jr., commander of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Bacolod City Field Unit.

The revelation was made during his visit to Negros Occidental’s Bago City on April 24, where he earlier disclosed that a police officer was allegedly acting as a protector of illegal cigarette operations in Negros Island.

Authorities are also looking into possible links to foreign criminal groups after 10 Chinese nationals were arrested during a raid on a warehouse of illegal cigarettes in Bago last week.

Fugitive businessman Ang, implicated in the “missing sabungeros” case, remains at large despite police raids on some 20 areas since January.

Remulla said Tonico has been placed under preventive custody at the Police Regional Office in the Negros Island Region headquarters while the filing of appropriate charges is being prepared.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government also did not coordinate with the Bacolod CIDG unit during recent operations.

Instead, the raids in Bacolod and Bago were carried out by CIDG units from the National Capital Region and Cebu.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the extent of the alleged network and the possible involvement of other individuals in the illegal operations./CJ, WDJ