Pasig ‘laboratory’ yields 14 more kilos of shabu

The Philippine National Police (PNP) crime laboratory certified yesterday that the chemicals confiscated from the makeshift shabu laboratory raided in Pasig City last Wednesday yielded an additional 14 kilos of shabu with an estimated street value of P28 million.

This developed as four Chinese nationals arrested at the shabu factory in Capitol 8 Subdivision, Barangay Kapitolyo, claimed that the shabu they manufactured was of lesser quality because they substituted its main ingredient, ephedrine, with soda flakes.

The latest findings of the PNP crime laboratory brought to 20 kilos the illegal drugs confiscated from the house rented by Xingfu Wang for P30,000 a month.

A report signed by Inspector Vivian Sumobay, forensic chemical officer of the PNP crime laboratory showed that the 14 kilos of raw shabu was already in its brownish crystalline form. She explained that the drug syndicate was in the process of "crystallization" of the brownish substance to a finished product-shabu.

Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Edgar Galvante said the quantity of shabu seized would rise higher as Sumobay certified that the contents of seven other containers confiscated during the raid were positive for shabu residue. "The quantity of the seized illegal drugs would likely go higher after the PNP crime laboratory ends its examination of the chemicals," said Galvante. The PNP crime laboratory findings also bolstered Galvante’s suspicion that the makeshift shabu laboratory was producing more than 90 kilos per month as admitted by the eight Chinese nationals and three Filipinos arrested.

Elements of the Regional Intelligence and Special Operations Office (RISOO) forwarded for examination by the crime laboratory 42 plastic bags, basins, plastic containers, pitchers, cans, pails, flasks and gallons containing shabu-making chemicals.

Chief Inspector Nelson Yabut, head of the RISOO investigation division, said Sumobay has finished examining the contents of only eight containers and was in the process of inspecting 10 others which she suspected contained raw shabu.

Galvante said his men are still hot on the trail of Cai Hontian alias Wah Yah, who is said to be the leader and chemist of the drug syndicate. Cai is a member of the Hong Kong-based 14-K drug syndicate and is listed in the Narcotics Group (NarcGroup) order-of-battle. – Non Alquitran