The leader of Sigue Sigue Sputnik inside the New Bilibid Prison on testified that he sold illegal drugs on orders of convicted kidnapper Jaybee Sebastian as part of the campaign to fund the candidacy of Senator Leila de Lima.
The Sputnik is said to be the biggest gang inside the penitentiary.
Joel Capones told the House Committee on Justice that he remitted the profits he and his gang made from selling drugs to Sebastian, who in turn gave the money to a certain Jad de Vera, said to be De Lima’s nephew.
Capones said he had been informed as early as December 2013 by Sebastian that they needed to raise funds to finance De Lima’s senatorial bid.
He said he had been assured by Sebastian by protection from any danger in exchange for selling drugs.
“Mula noon, dinadalhan o pinapadalhan na ako ni Jaybee ng shabu para ibenta at ito naman ay pinaghahati-hati sa aming grupo para ibenta sa loob ng Bilibid. Ang mga transaksyon sa labas ay ginagawa sa pamamagitan lamang ng cellphone,” Capones said.
In exchange for selling drugs, the gang leader said he was able to experience some perks such as having an airconditioner and refrigerator inside his quarters (kubol), and the privilege of having a motorcycle inside the maximum security compound.
He said the authorities inside the NBP also became more lenient towards him.
Sometime in February 2014, Capones said Sebastian introduced him to De Vera, who the latter identified was the collector of remittances from the sale of drugs.
He said there were times when he saw Sebastian call De Vera to inform him the money was already there after it was brought to him.
“Sa dalawang pagkakataon ang pera na dinala ko kay Jaybee ay ibinigay niya kay Jad de Vera, mismo sa harapan ko,” he said.
Capones also claimed to have seen De Lima once inside Sebastian’s kubol. He said he went to the convicted kidnapper’s quarters on the latter’s invitation to prove that the then-justice secretary was the recipient of the profits from the drug sale.
The gang leader said he asked Sebastian for permission to stop selling drugs in October 2014 because he found out he was eligible for parole.
Capones said he was shocked when he was among the inmates moved out of the maximum security compound after the December 2014 raid inside the NBP because he thought Sebastian was cool to his decision to quit selling illegal drugs.