Sino ‘shabu makers’ freed on bail

The five Chinese chemists who were behind the operations of the raided makeshift shabu laboratory in Pasig City were released Tuesday night after posting P700,000 bail.

Upon learning of the hasty release of the foreigners, Director Efren Fernandez, head of the Narcotics Group (NarcGroup) immediately asked Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo to issue hold departure orders for suspects Chua Chiy Li, 37; Huang Hongwei, 34; Joey Lu, 25; Xingfu Wang, 31 and Tomas Lu, 34.

Fernandez also requested Justice Secretary Hernando Perez to investigate reports that P12 million changed hands for the speedy release of the five Chinese nationals.

The suspects yielded six kilos of shabu and several drums of chemicals used for the manufacture of the illegal drugs when elements of the Regional Intelligence and Special Operations Office (RISSO) raided their makeshift shabu lab in Capitol 8 Subdivision, Pasig City last Nov. 6.

RISOO agents filed drug trafficking charges against the suspects, which is a non-bailable offense.

However, Judge Rodrigo Lorenzo, of the Pasig City Regional Trial Court, allowed the five Chinese chemists to avail of temporary liberty through bail of P700,000.

Lorenzo defended the decision, claiming police chemist Inspector Vivian Sumabay failed to attend the court hearings of the case despite repeated summons. But when confronted by RISSO agents, Sumabay of the Philipipne National Police (PNP) crime laboratory, claimed she did not receive any summons from Lorenzo, hence, her absence. Reports said Lorenzo, a former Manila policeman, is bound for the United States for medical treatment.

The government, represented by Assistant City Crosecutor Conrado Tolentino also did not lift a finger to block Lorenzo’s bail order. Authorities at the Rizal provincial jail released the five foreigners upon being shown the receipt for the required bail.

The RISSO agents asked the help of PNP chief Director General Leandro Mendoza so the case against the five Chinese chemists would not go to naught. "They are big time drug traffickers with no known addresses. How can we arrest them again if they jump bail?" asked the demoralized arresting officers.

The five chemists admitted their role in the illegal operations of the makeshift shabu laboratory during tactical interrogation, they said. The police agents are opposing the bail order because the group’s gang, a China-based Fujian drug syndicate was believed responsible for "silencing" one of their agents, David Sy-Lato.