PDEA checks source of Taguig shabu lab's equipment, precursors

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is tracing the source of the sophisticated equipment and raw materials recovered at the raided shabu laboratory in Taguig City, officials said yesterday.

Metro police chief Director Roberto Rosales said the P10 billion worth of equipment and raw materials have been formally turned over to the PDEA.

Rosales said the equipment and shabu precursors have no markings but the PDEA could use its resources to identify their country of origin.

“It would take time for the PDEA to establish the country where the equipment and raw materials were imported because of the big volume of the items were forwarded for their perusal,” he said.

Rosales strongly believes that the equipment and precursors were imported from abroad.

Superintendent Leo Francisco said arrested Chinese nationals William Altejeros, alias Charlie Sy Lim, 40; and Goufu Fu, 40, still refuse to answer questions.

But Taguig City records show that the 7,000-square meter lot on Carlo Drive in Mañalac subdivision is registered under the name of Altejeros.

Deputy Director General Eduardo Acuna, head of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force, said the raided shabu laboratory is the largest and most sophisticated of its kind that has been neutralized in the country so far.

Acuna lauded Rosales and his men for a job well done as he promised to reward them with promotions.

Rosales said it took his men at least 75 days to conduct surveillance operations on the warehouse, which is surrounded with high walls.

“From the outside, you cannot say that it operates as a shabu laboratory because of its high walls. There’s no obnoxious odor emanating from inside so nobody suspects anything illegal at the establishment,” he said.

Rosales said they are still determining whether the neutralized shabu laboratory in Taguig City is linked to the raided establishment in Cainta in March last year.

He said they strongly believe that shabu was manufactured in the Taguig laboratory but the finished product is stored somewhere else. – Non Alquitran