‘Freeze shabu makers’ money’

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is working for the "freezing" of millions of pesos in bank deposits of the eight Chinese nationals and three Filipinos who were arrested Wednesday during a raid on a shabu laboratory in Pasig City.

Police investigators are also determining whether the suspects are members of the notorious Hongkong-based 14-K drug syndicate, after one of the suspects was found to be in the Narcotics Group (NarGroup) order-of-battle.

Justice Secretary Hernando Perez is presently coordinating with top officials of at least four banks where the 11 suspects maintain large cash deposits. The DOJ, however, refused to identify the four local banks so as not to embarrass its officials or clients.

The DOJ pointed out that under the newly-passed money laundering law, bank accounts with transactions of P3 million or more by persons involved in criminal activities can be opened for scrutiny by the government.

Elements of the Regional Intelligence and Special Operations Office (RISOO) recovered during the raid on the makeshift shabu laboratory at Capitol 8 subdivision in Pasig City, a bankbook from Chua Chi, 37 and a bank statement in the name of Michael Chua showing deposits of P5.7 million and P4.9 million, respectively.

Chief Inspector Nelson Yabut, RISOO investigation chief said the drug syndicate headed by Cai Horitian alias Huai la, who remains at large, are using banks to evade police buy-bust operations.

Yabut said under the drug syndicate set-up, all their buyers must deposit the payment for the shabu in a bank. After the deposit is confirmed, a drug syndicate member asks for the car of the buyer and tells him to wait for his call. The buyer later is told where the syndicate left his car, usually in heavily guarded parking lots in Metro Manila. He would also be informed where the shabu and the car keys are hidden. The scheme makes it hard for the police to crack the drug syndicate, said Yabut. Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Edgar Galvante admitted they are tracing whether the arrested suspects belong to the 14-K drug syndicate.

Galvante said the NarcGroup verbally informed him that one of the eight Chinese nationals arrested was a member of the 14-K gang. However, he refused to reveal his name pending confirmation from other sources.

The Metro Manila police chief also enlisted the help of the NarcGroup and the Metro Manila Drug Enforcement Group (MMDEG) to speed up the arrest of Cai, the group’s leader. – Non Alquitran