P7B worth of shabu seized from Chinese nationals

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine police on Monday, September 15, sued 4 Chinese nationals over the production and possession of dangerous drugs.

Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) raided two shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) laboratories maintained by the suspects in San Fernando, Pampanga, on Friday, September 12.

The 4 suspects – indentified as Jason Lee, Willy Tap, and Near Tan from Xiamen, China; and Ying Ying Huang from Fujian, China – face possible charges for violating Sections 8 and 11 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. They underwent inquest proceedings Monday morning.

Some 1,100 kilos of shabu worth approximately P7 billion ($158 million)* were retrieved during the two raids, authorities said. A warehouse inside Greenville subdivision and Richtown subdivision were searched via a warrant issued by a Quezon City regional trial court.

Police said it was the largest haul in the country’s campaign against illegal drugs. 

The suspects insisted they were engaged in a legitimate business, trading kitchen utensils.

Over 910 kilograms of shabu were seized from the Greenville warehouse, leading to the arrest of Lee, Yap, and Tan. Huang, meanwhile, had 250 kilograms of shabu with him in the Richtown warehouse.

The 4 suspects have been under surveillance since April this year, police later said. – Rappler.com

*US$1 = P44.2871