Chemicals enough to produce P6-B shabu seized in Caloocan

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Northern Police District (NPD) raided yesterday an abandoned warehouse in Caloocan City and discovered chemical ingredients for making shabu and laboratory equipment worth some P6 billion.

Senior Superintendent William Macavinta, Caloocan police chief, said the law enforcers seized 23 drums of various chemicals packed in wooden crates with Chinese markings and brand- new drug-making laboratory equipment.

NBI Special Investigator 4 Isaac Carpeso said the street value of one kilo of shabu is P3 million and the price is going up because of the dwindling supply of illegal drugs.

Government agents have raided three shabu laboratories in various parts of Valenzuela City in the past three years.

"These chemicals once processed could produce some 2,000 kilos of shabu worth around P6 billion," Vicente de Guzman, director of NBI-Special Action Unit, told The STAR.

The NBI-SAU and NPD operatives led by district director Chief Superintendent Pedro Tango and Macavinta raided the shabu laboratory at 144 P. Sevilla street corner 4th Ave., Barangay 47, West Grace Park, Caloocan City at around 10 a.m. Nobody was arrested inside the three-story building during the raid.

A search warrant was earlier issued by Caloocan City Executive Judge Victoria Isabel Paredes and authorized the law enforcers to forcibly open the warehouse’s steel gate and found the drums and boxes of shabu-making chemicals that included acetone, chloroform, sodium hydroxide and phosphoric acid,

Police said only its ground floor was utilized. The second floor was empty and full of dust as well as the third floor, which has three rooms and a kitchen with easy access to the rooftop.

Carpeso said he was informed late last November that a shipment of shabu-making chemicals and equipment from China was delivered somewhere in Caloocan City by members of the Hong Kong Triad drug syndicate.

"It took us more than two months before we finally found where it (laboratory) was," Carpeso said.

He said that they have launched a manhunt against Robert Lee, James Smith and Eric Diaz who are alleged members of the drug gang.

The suspects reportedly rented the building from Juanito Cardenas. Cardenas, however, was not found.

Macavinta said that records at the Caloocan City Hall business permit department showed that the warehouse is owned by Robert Ang.

"It could already be categorized as shabu laboratory for it is complete with equipment and shabu-making chemicals," Macavinta said.

But the drums and boxes of chemicals including the laboratory paraphernalia were still intact and protected by wooden crates when found by the raiding team.

Caloocan Mayor Enrico Echiverri, who also inspected the warehouse yesterday, asked the NBI and the local police to "dig deeper" into the case.

Chairman Antonio Co of Barangay 47 said the warehouse has been abandoned for almost two years now and that he does not know who owns the building. —With Pete Laude, Evelyn Macairan