Thursday, April 10, 2008 PDEA wants drug lord bank accounts probed
AN OFFICIAL of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the region requested the Anti-Money Laundering Council to investigate the bank accounts of an alleged drug lord arrested in Zamboanga City.
The subject of the request is the bank accounts of Weng Li Yang alias Andy Yang, the alleged owner of the raided shabu laboratory in Lamisahan village, east of this city.
PDEA Regional Director Adzar Albani said he made the request to determine if money in the accounts came from illegal sources like from the production and sale of shabu.
Yang, his alleged cohort Lucky Ong, and three laboratory workers are presently detained at the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center (ZCRC) manned by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
However, Albani said they don't have any idea as to how much money Yang has in the banks. They however surmised that it could reach millions or maybe billions of pesos.
Under Republic Act 9160, otherwise known as the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001, the council could freeze Yang's money in the banks if there is probable cause that it came from an illegal source, Albani said.
Albani hopes the Anti-Money Laundering Council will act favorably on their request and that the investigation will commence soon. (Bong Garcia
