QC shabu lab falls

Joint operatives of the Central Police District (CPD), the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOT) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) raided a clandestine shabu laboratory in Quezon City yesterday, seizing 30 kilos of high-grade shabu worth P150 million and 3,700 kilos of ephedrine.

However, lawmen were not able to arrest anyone when they raided the shabu laboratory at 193 Scout Chuatoco in Barangay Obrero at 7 a.m. The house is reportedly owned by a certain Elena Miranda and is being rented by Taiwanese nationals.

Police said the operation was made possible by information collected from previous raids on bigger drug laboratories in Antipolo, Pasig and Valenzuela, as well as from informants and residents.

The raid was conducted by virtue of a search warrant issued by Executive Judge Natividad Dizon of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.

At least five teams from the CPD-Station 10 under Superintendent Hawthorne Binag, the AID-SOT, PDEA and the Barangay Obrero Security Development Office conducted the morning raid.

President Arroyo, who later inspected the lab with Interior and Local Government Secretary Joey Lina, PDEA Director Anselmo Avenido Jr., AID-SOT chief Deputy Director Gen. Edgar Aglipay and Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., congratulated drug enforcement agencies and local residents for the discovery of the shabu laboratory.

She expressed confidence that with the dismantling of another shabu lab, the "Drug-Free Philippines by 2010" can be achieved in line with her administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.

Belmonte also commended the police for the "huge accomplishment."

"Once again, it has been proven that police and community relations are vital for the deterrence of organized crime and big-time syndicates. We urge the people to continuously be vigilant citizens and help the government crush these groups and prevent crime," he said.

Major drug haul

An inventory made by members of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) showed that 30 kilos of shabu, 148 sacks of ephedrine and 26 packs of marijuana were discovered inside the two-storey, 10-room house. Two big mixers, drums of still undetermined chemicals, sacks of salt and residue, oxygen tanks and dryers were also seized.

Each sack of the seized ephedrine, a precursor of shabu, weighed 25 kilos.

Binag told The Star that they even discovered "a new chemical that lessens the foul smell in the production of shabu."

Aglipay said they have several witnesses that could identify the suspects that operated the shabu laboratory.

Lina said the person who introduced himself as Mico Tan to the houseowner was merely an alias because the real Tan has been detained by the PDEA since last year. Description of the Taiwanese did not match photos of Tan.

Tan was arrested by the task force agents late last year at his rented condominium unit at the Bayview Condominium along Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

Lina said a manhunt has been launched. "This may not be the biggest, but definitely this is a big shabu laboratory. It appears that the confiscated finished product was high-grade shabu which has a street value of around P5,000 per gram," he said.

Lina appealed to owners of apartments and houses for rent to double-check the background of individuals before leasing them and to routinely inspect their areas and visit their tenants.

"If the lessor fails to explain the existence of shabu laboratories and other illegal activities in his house or establishment, he may be held criminally liable as well," he said.