On August 10, 2018, the panel of prosecutors tasked by the Secretary of Justice to conduct further preliminary investigation of the case entitled “PNP-CIDG-MCIU vs. Peter Go Lim a.k.a. Jaguar, Rolan "Kerwin" Espinosa, Marcelo L. Adorco, Ruel Malindangan, et. al.”, NPS Docket No. XVI-INV-17G-00171 found probable cause against said respondents for violation of Section 26(b) in relation to Section 5, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).

In its Resolution released today, the Panel, composed of Senior Assistant State Prosecutors Juan Pedro C. Navera, Anna Noreen T. Devanadera and Prosecution Attorney Herbert Calvin P. Abugan, finds that the admission of respondent Espinosa during the legislative investigation of the Senate Committees on Justice and Public Order, together with Marcelo Adorco’s positive identification of Peter Go Lim as one of Kerwin’s suppliers of dangerous drugs, is sufficient to establish probable cause to charge them with conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading.

The Panel reiterates that conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading is a distinct offense under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and that the agreement to trade in drugs is the gravamen of the offense. The drugs themselves as corpus delicti of drug trading are not essential under Section 26(b) of the law.

The Panel states that the defense of respondent Peter Go Lim that he is not one alias ''Jaguar'' is immaterial, as he was postively identified by both Espinosa and Adorco. Furthermore, his alibi that he could not have possibly been in Thailand during the time attested by Adorco has to yield to the positive and affirmative statements of said witness.

It will be recalled that in their Resolution dated July 19, 2018, the same Panel likewise found probable cause to charge respondents Rolan ''Kerwin'' Espinosa, Wu Tuan Yan a.k.a. Peter Co, Marcelo L. Adorco, Lovely A. Impal and Ruel S. Malindangan with violation of Section 26(b) in relation to Section 5, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165, after a separate investigation.

The criminal information against Peter Go Lim, Rolan ''Kerwin'' Espinosa, Marcelo L. Adorco and Ruel Malindangan will be filed at the Regional Trial Court in Makati City.