MANILA - Nine high-profile inmates of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) were returned to the state penitentiary’s Building 14 Friday morning, in compliance with a directive from Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, who had recalled the inmates’ transfer to the medium security compound.

The inmates include Rico Caja, Joel Capones, Jojo Baligad, Benjamin Marcelo, Sam Lee Chua, Hans Anton Tan, Che Kit Chua, Peter Co and Vicente Sy.

Capones, Baligad, Tan, Co, and Sy had testified before a House of Representatives inquiry on the alleged involvement of detained Sen. Leila De Lima in the NBP illegal drug trade during her time as justice secretary.

De Lima, who is currently detained at the national police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, faces three separate drug cases before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC). She has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying she was being persecuted for her fierce criticism of the administration.

The inmates were transferred to Building 14 a day after another raid by the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) at the NBP.

The inmates on Wednesday expressed fears for their safety if they would be returned to the facility, where high-profile inmates are held. Building 14 is manned by the SAF.

Aguirre, however, insisted he would proceed with the transfer to prevent them from pursuing the illicit trade, which earlier flourished at the prison facility.

The justice chief recently bared the resurgence of the drug trade at the NBP.

Earlier this month, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Benjamin delos Santos resigned, saying Aguirre's revelation had made him “irrelevant.”