P4.5-M copper wire shipment recovered

Some P4.5-million worth of copper wires stolen in a container van hijacking last week was recovered by Manila police from a Valenzuela warehouse last Saturday, resulting in the arrest of the truck driver, according to a ranking police official.

In his report to Western Police District (WPD) director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong, Superintendent Rodolfo Llorca, chief of the Jose Abad Santos police station, said intensive intelligence gathering resulted in tracking down the 3,650 metric tons of copper wire earlier reported as missing.

The copper shipment inside a 40-foot container van was withdrawn from the Customs area on April 15, but failed to arrive at the warehouse of the consignee, the American Wire and Cable Co. Inc.

Police sleuthing later led authorities to a warehouse along the Parada Service Road in Valenzuela, Metro Manila, where the containerized copper shipment was found.

The warehouse caretaker identified the driver of the truck who delivered the cargo as Miguel Arcilla, whom police arrested at his residence at Lacson street in Tondo.

Arcilla named his accomplice as Marcelino Delgado and a certain "Tony," who are now the subject of a police manhunt.

Charges of highway robbery were filed against the suspects. — Nestor Etolle