2 Chinese drug suspects fall

Two suspected Chinese drug dealers have been arrested by joint operatives of the Bureau of Immigration and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in separate operations in Caloocan City.

First to fall was Ang Tieng Shien, alias Francis Chan, who was allegedly behind the operations of the two Las Piñas City drug laboratories raided by lawmen.

Joint intelligence operatives from the Bureau of Immigration and a task force under Superintendents Winnie Quidato and Neri Ilagan arrested the 34-year-old Ang last March 23 by virtue of a mission order issue by Commissioner Alipio Fernandez Jr. for violation of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.

When accosted, Ang failed to show valid documents for his stay in the country.

Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Task Force (AID-SOT) chief Deputy Director General Edgar Aglipay said Ang was arrested after more than two months of surveillance operations in various areas frequented by the suspect in Metro Manila.

The same teams also arrested Chua A-Lee, alias Tony Chua, at around 10:30 p.m. last Tuesday in Rainbow Village V, De Paro in Caloocan City.

Aglipay said Chua belongs to a syndicate operated by Chan. Other tracker teams are hot on the trail of other members of allied transnational drug groups operating in the country.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Joey Lina said the arrest of two drug dealers disproves the perception that the PNP and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) have not been going after big-time operators of shabu warehouses busted by authorities.

"There will be no letup even if success has been achieved. The President wants us to intensify this campaign," Lina said.

Meanwhile, a man with a PDEA jacket and four suspected drug pushers yielded 80 grams of shabu with an estimated street value of P160,000 during a raid conducted by elements of AID-SOT in Pasay City the other night.

Aglipay said he will recommend the relief of the commander of the Police Community Precinct in the area for his failure to act against the suspects identified as Jonathan Pascual, Roceliga Yabes, Justina Bunos, Teresita Barcelona and Arturo Sy.

"I am recommending the relief of the PCP commander because he failed to stop the illegal activities of the suspects despite the fact that his headquarters is only some 50 meters away," Aglipay said in an interview.

Pascual also yielded a caliber .45 Norinco pistol, a black PDEA jacket and assorted shabu sniffing paraphernalia. Yabes and Bunos were arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by a Pasay judge.

When reached by The Star, Director Reynaldo Jaylo, PDEA Task Force Hunter chief, said Pascual is not an agent of his unit. "We are investigating how he was able to get hold of the PDEA jacket," he said. – With Non Alquitran