P2.34-B shabu seized in Subic

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Authorities seized here last Tuesday P2.34 billion worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu after a failed attempt to smuggle the drugs out of the freeport.

Operatives of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group-Task Force Subic (PASG-TFS) and the Law Enforcement Department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA-LED) that a total of 72 boxes of

shabu were confiscated on Tuesday after some boxes were offloaded from a Taiwanese fishing vessel docked at Subic’s Riviera Pier.

Estimated value of the 780 kilos seized total P2.34 billion, authorities said, as the street value of one kilo is now pegged at P3 million.

The suspect was identified as Anthony “Anton” Ang, a Chinese national living in Olongapo City, and owner of Hua Long Int’l. Inc., a trading firm registered at the Freeport in October last year.

PASG said Ang has been under surveillance “for quite some time now” because intelligence reports marked him as being involved in the illegal importation of cigarettes and liquor.

According to SBMA Administrator/Chief Executive Officer Armand Arreza, the smuggling attempt was detected as early as Sunday night when elements of an SBMA-LED patrol noticed a suspicious-looking vehicle driving around the SRF Compound at about 8:00 p.m.

The vehicle, identified as a red Mitsubishi Outlander with plate number RAE-615, later parked adjacent to a docked Taiwanese vessel, identified as F/B Shun Fa Xing.

Operatives later observed that the vessel’s crew were offloading boxes and loading these into the parked vehicle, Arreza said.

At about 8:35 p.m., as the vehicle tried to leave the port, the operatives, along with the Port Sentinel Branch, stopped the vehicle at the gate’s vehicular lane, and held Ang, who was driving the vehicle, for attempting to exit the area with eight boxes of undocumented goods.

At the law enforcement office where the suspect was subsequently questioned, Ang refused to have the sealed boxes opened, saying the goods inside were “sensitive computer parts.”

He, however, failed to present documents to certify the contents of the boxes.

Ang was later released, but law enforcers, pending verification, held the eight boxes he tried to bring out.

When the suspect returned on Monday to claim the goods, he again failed to present documents and even refused to make a written acknowledgement that the boxes indeed contained computer parts.

Thereafter, Ang was never seen again, and authorities here opened the boxes on Tuesday, finding five packets of crystalline substances in each box. Subsequent analysis revealed that the contents of the packets were methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu.

Ensuing follow-up investigation yielded several more boxes of shabu at Ang’s Hua Long warehouse at the Subic Bay Gateway Park.

Inventory conducted by PASG revealed a total of 72 boxes, all containing shabu.

Operatives said Ang has probably escaped, as a caretaker said he vacated his house at No. 55 Davidson St., West Bajac-bajac, Olongapo on Monday.

His family was also nowhere to be found.

Police has ordered a massive manhunt for Ang to prevent him from going out of the country.