NBI swoops down on QC shabu lab

Anti-narcotics agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday raided another shabu laboratory located at the posh residential area of New Manila in Quezon City.

Armed with a search warrant issued by Quezon City Judge Monina Zenarosa, NBI agents, led by lawyer Ruel Lasala, swooped down on a townhouse located at 6-F Sobrepena street at 10:30 a.m. The townhouse is located at the back of the National Childrens Hospital along E. Rodriguez Avenue.

Found inside the abandoned lab were about three kilos of suspected shabu in liquid form and various shabu-making ingredients, including ephedrine and various acids. Also found were two pumps used in drying the shabu as well as a blood-smeared ladies jacket.

NBI director Reynaldo Wycoco said prior to the raid, they received information that two vehicles, a van and sports utility vehicle that were previously seen at a raided shabu laboratory in Navotas were spotted at the New Manila townhouse.

True enough, agents found parked in the garage a Honda CRV with plate number XBC-288 and a Mitsubishi L-300 van with plate number ADE-670.

"These are the same vehicles that were seen at the Navotas shabu laboratory which we also raided last month," Wycoco said.

Last Dec. 13, combined agents of the NBI and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) swooped down on a private warehouse in Navotas and seized at least P1 billion worth of chemicals suspected to be used in the manufacture of shabu.

Wycoco said the raid on the warehouse located at 1060 North Bay Boulevard was conducted following information that it supplied the materials for the shabu factory in Valenzuela City that was gutted by fire early last month.

Police found at least P2.2 billion worth of shabu in the razed factory. According to the PDEA, it was the biggest shabu factory discovered in the Philippines so far.

Wycoco said that it was one of the helpers of the gutted factory owned by a certain Wang Yashi and a certain Deng Xiao Li, alias "Lucy," who tipped the NBI.

Police said Wang and Deng were also the owners of the raided warehouse.

Police said the townhouse unit was abandoned and left to rot following the fire in Valenzuela.

Meanwhile, the NBI and police are now tracking down the owner of the New Manila townhouse, identified as a certain Randy Chua.

"This particular lab has been empty for some two weeks now. The suspects have left the country by now," Chief Inspector Rodolfo Jaraza said.

Wycoco said the shabu making operation at the townhouse was so efficient that the occupants of the adjacent houses did not notice anything suspicious.

"Nobody suspected that shabu was being manufactured there. The neighbors did not smell any strange odor. It seems that they (suspects) cooked a different kind of shabu," said Wycoco.

However, the inside of the raided house showed signs of deterioration, probably from the acid being used in the cooking process.

Wycoco added that they have also received information that Wang had also visited the raided townhouse prior the raid.

According to him, Wang arrived in the country on Dec. 3 to check on the operations of the three shabu factories in Navotas, Valenzuela and New Manila. Wang however left for China a day after the Valenzuela laboratory was razed.