ANTI-DRUG operatives arrested on Wednesday, June 3, one of the biggest manufacturers of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) in the country.
The suspect, Samson Tan, was arrested along with his two cohorts identified as Yusuf Sultan and Dexter Abdala in a drug bust at around 9 a.m. in Barangay Don Jose in Sta. Rosa City in Laguna.
Seized from the suspects were around 500 grams, not kilograms as reported earlier, of shabu with an estimated value of P3.4 million.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Wilkins Villanueva said Tan is a chemist.
He was arrested by the Manila Police District in 2008 and transferred to the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) in 2013, after he was convicted.
He was, however, released in 2018 after the Court of Appeals overturned his conviction.
“Nung nasa NBP siya ‘yung taga linis ng mga pangit na pagkakagawa ng shabu na nandun sa Bilibid para distribute naman doon sa mga preso during that time. Sa ngayon nung paglabas niya since 2018 patuloy pa rin ang paggawa niya ng shabu this time. May mga kasama siyang mga Mulsim brothers natin dito. So nangyayari ‘yung Muslim brothers ang nagda-drop off ng shabu na ginagawa niya,” said Villanueva.
“Si Samson Tan ang isa sa pinakamalaking gumagawa ng shabu dito sa Pilipinas. Like what I said during my assumption uunahin natin ay ang source ng droga, members ng international drug syndicate, ito na siya,” he added.
Charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against the suspects. (SunStar Philippines)