Drugbusters strike in Caloocan

Anti-drug operatives discovered an abandoned a shabu laboratory during a raid of a warehouse in Caloocan City yesterday.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Undersecretary Anselmo Avenido Jr. said no arrests were made by the combined agents of the PDEA, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Northern Police District (NPD).

The raid at the three-story building at 337 Gen. Tinio street in Morning Breeze Subdivision, Caloocan City yielded 10 sacks of assorted chemicals as well as various equipment.

Avenido said the house was rented by a certain Jacky Sy from its owner Jimmy Chua Reyes last Nov. 2. The shabu laboratory had been maintained by a Taiwanese-Chinese since last year.

"The laboratory was operated for almost a year until their occupants decided to abandon it some three to four months ago. It can produce some 135 kilos of shabu a week," Avenido said.

An inventory of the equipment and chemicals found inside the building showed there were 10 sacks of chemicals including caustic soda, ethyl alcohol, active carbon, sodium acetate, sodium hydroxide and soda flakes.

The raiding agents also seized two hydrogenerators, an electric thermo dryer, two weighing scales, a gas oven, seven containers of black substances, 14 plastic containers and three empty Shellane gas tanks.

Avenido said the 10 a.m. raid was made on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Victorino Alvaro, executive judge of the Caloocan City regional trial court branch 120.

"The raid comes on the heel of a successful seizure by joint elements of the PDEA and the Bureau of Customs of 1.5 tons of pseudoephedrine at the Cebu International Port last March 8," the PDEA chief said.