Shabu lab informer to get P1-M

A civilian informer who tipped the police on the existence of a clandestine shabu factory in Pasig City which led to the arrests of eight Chinese nationals and three Filipinos and the recovery of 20 kilos of shabu last week will receive reward money amounting to over P1 million from the government, police officials said yesterday.

Elements of the Regional Intelligence and Special Operations Office (RISOO) are coordinating with Director Miguel Coronel, of the National Drug Enforcement and Prevention (NDEP) to speed up the release of the money to the informer, said to be a former shabu peddler of the drug syndicate operating the "factory."

Under the "private eye" program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), a civilian informer should receive an amount of P50,000 for every kilo of shabu seized by the government.

With the recent certification by the Philippine National Police (PNP) crime laboratory that at least 20 kilos of shabu were seized from the Pasig "factory," Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director Edgar Galvante said the informer can get as much as P1 million.

"The cash reward could even increase once the crime laboratory certifies that other chemicals confiscated at the laboratory are shabu," said Galvante.

Chief Inspector Nelson Yabut, RISOO investigation chief, said the civilian informer use to work as a shabu peddler for the gang of Cai Hontian, alias Wah Yah, a certified member of the Hong Kong-based 14-K drug syndicate.

Yabut said the informer started getting his shabu supply directly from the drug syndicate while it was operating at the Valle Verde Subdivision in Pasig City last year.

He added that the informer began entertaining the idea going to the police after being informed of the reward money.

"When the civilian informer learned that he could earn millions of pesos in the government reward system, he immediately contacted one of our operatives and the operation to raid the shabu laboratory was launched," said Yabut.

RISOO operatives are withholding the identity of the civilian informer to prevent the 14-K drug syndicate from harming him.

Cai, the head chemist of the drug syndicate, remains at large. He is now being hunted down by joint elements of the RISOO, Metro Manila Drug Enforcement Group (MMDEG) and the Camp Crame based Narcotics Group (NarcGroup).