BARMM ex-MP denies link to seized Laos drug cargo

COTABATO CITY — A former member of parliament (MP) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) denied allegations by law enforcement officials that he was behind the recent foiled shipment of illegal drugs from Laos.

In an undated video message posted on social media Thursday night, Sultan Edrieza Hadji Nasser Rimbang maintained that he or any member of his family had never been involved in narcotics.

Rimbang’s assertion came three weeks after authorities in Laos intercepted the 521-kilogram haul of “shabu” (crystal meth) worth P3.5 billion at Luang Prabang International Airport.

READ: 40 subpoenaed as PNP expands P3.5-B Laos-PH ‘shabu’ shipment probe

He was among 11 “persons of interest” invited by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police to shed light on the incident. But Rimbang, along with three others, skipped the invitation to appear before investigators.

‘Not just financier’

Earlier this week, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Isagani Nerez called Rimbang the “mastermind” of the smuggling attempt.

Rimbang, Nerez said, “appears not as a mere financier, but the person who conceptualized” the shipment to the Philippines.

READ: Ex-BARMM exec now tagged as brains behind Laos drug cargo

“He was the one who made those plans, made suggestions to his conduits, his cohorts; and yes, he provided the needed financial requirements for the chartering of that flight,” Nerez told lawmakers at a House hearing on Thursday.

Rimbang disputed Nerez’s claim, stressing: “That is not true. I have not ordered anyone from our country to transport shabu from Laos to the Philippines.”

“The allegations hurt me and my family; photos of me and my family and relatives are all over social media. What is your problem with me?” he added. “Since birth I have not seen, touched or tasted illegal drugs, I have no single case involving drugs.”

‘Baseless’

Rimbang said that as a consequence of the allegations, “my children are heavily affected. They stopped schooling. They fear for their lives.”

“I appealed to the government to refrain [from posting] and remove the photos of my family on social media,” he added. “Our faces are clearly visible on social media while wanted criminals have their faces blurred/covered.”

“I have never been charged regarding illegal drugs. Is democracy dead in this country? When you are mad at anyone, you just post on social media to destroy his name and reputation?” he added.

Rimbang made an unsuccessful run as candidate for a parliament seat representing Lanao del Sur’s third district in the Sept. 14 regional elections in the BARMM.

In campaign speeches, he often told voters that he grew up “poor,” that he used to be part of the intelligence group of the PNP and that he is a military reservist.

Padilla endorsement

He said he was also appointed “deputy mayor for Muslim affairs” in the City of Manila from 2014 to 2019, under then Mayor Joseph Estrada.

Rimbang was later appointed by then President Rodrigo Duterte to the first set of members of the 80-seat Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the BARMM’s interim government. He served in the position from March 2019 to August 2022.

Sen. Robinhood Padilla endorsed Rimbang’s candidacy for the Sept. 14 BARMM elections. A campaign video showed Padilla urging voters to support Rimbang who, the senator said, “never abandoned former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.”

Rimbang earlier denied social media posts that he and his family had fled overseas.

He said he had formed a legal team to clear his name before the proper forum. —WITH A REPORT FROM JOHN ERIC MENDOZA