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Thursday, December 30, 2004
Shabu labs raided; P14B worth of drugs seized
MANILA -- Authorities raided three drug laboratories--believed run by Chinese and Taiwanese men--in Manila Wednesday morning, arresting a man and seizing large volumes of drugs, chemical ingredients and equipment, officials said.
Officials believed the labs in Bulacan province's Meycauayan town and two towns in Bataan province were ran by a syndicate producing large amounts of a popular illegal amphetamine locally called shabu.
"We have smashed another major drug pipeline in Southeast Asia following the raids," said anti-narcotics official Anselmo Avenido Jr.
The three labs, believed run by still-unidentified Chinese and Taiwanese men, could produce about two tons of drugs a month, Avenido said.
An informant led authorities to the labs, and efforts were underway to arrest members of a syndicate believed to have established the laboratories.
Agents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine National Police (PNP), and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) raided a warehouse in Meycauayan armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Natividad Giron-Dizon of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes, also the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chairman, PDEA Director General Anselmo Avenido Jr., PNP Chief Edgardo Aglipay, and NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco accompanied by barangay officials personally served the warrant on warehouse caretaker Rodolfo Quioge, who was arrested during the operation.
Confiscated during the raid in Meycauayan were 6.5 kilograms of the precursor ephedrine, 26 containers of thionyl chloride, 415 kilograms of sodium hydroxide, 58 bottles of acetone, three drums of choloform, 60 bottles of sodium acetate, 26 bottles of sodium chloride, five containers of hydrochloric acid, and 15 tanks of hydrogen gas.
Also seized were one hydrogenator, huge scrubber unit, and anti-pollution device commonly used in shabu mega laboratories to prevent the toxic thionyl chloride fumes from circulating inside the laboratory and discharge the pungent odor of the chemicals.
Initial investigation by police showed that the warehouse was owned by a certain Mr. To and rented by one Rene Mendoza.
"This is a big blow to the operations of the drug manufacturing syndicates in the Philippines. With the cooperation of the law enforcement agencies, the support of local government units, and active participation of the various sectors of our society, there is no reason why we cannot neutralize these syndicates in the country," said Reyes.
In Bataan, one of the shabu labs raided was in Barangay Panilaw, Pilar.
The raiding team arrested a Taiwanese national identified as Paul Khan, alias Allan, and a Filipino woman cohort named Susan de Leon.
Confiscated in the raid were sacks of shabu and various raw chemicals used for the manufacture of illegal drugs.
Reyes said the labs could be worth billions of pesos.
Last year, officials destroyed at least 11 drug labs and nine warehouses and seized P13 billion worth of shabu and ingredients.
China is the main source of shabu chemical ingredients, which are smuggled into the Philippines and often manufactured here by Chinese citizens, Philippine officials say. (JFF/AP)
(December 30, 2004 issue)
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