Media banned from PDEA raid on suspect’s house

OLONGAPO CITY – Operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) prevented mediamen yesterday from covering a raid on the house of the suspected mastermind in the foiled smuggling of P4.6 billion worth of shabu into the Subic Bay Freeport last week.

PDEA agents raided the residence of Anthony Ang on Davidson street in Barangay West Bajac-bajac here to serve a warrant of arrest and seizure against Ang after 714.6 kilos of high-grade shabu were seized at the Subic Freeport last Tuesday.

Ang personally tried last Sunday to bring out of the freeport several boxes of what turned out to be shabu.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) law enforcers apprehended Ang after he offloaded the sealed boxes from the Taiwanese fishing boat F/B Shun Fa Xing. Ang though asked for more time to produce documents for the cargo.

But Ang, a co-owner of an import and export firm at the freeport, reportedly left his house along with his family on Monday, a day before the boxes were opened.

The raid on Ang’s house, according to PDEA sources, yielded nothing but cigarettes and liquor.

But it resulted in complaints from newsmen, from both the print and broadcast media, who were prevented from witnessing the raid.

“Unlike in previous raids done by the PASG (Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group) and the SBMA, we were not allowed to cover the PDEA raid,” complained one of the reporters.

“Does the PDEA have anything to hide?” another reporter asked.

Last Tuesday, PDEA agents held a joint press conference with SBMA administrator and chief executive officer Armand Arreza and officials of PASG-Task Force Subic to forge cooperation in stopping the entry of illegal drugs through the Subic Bay Freeport.

In the press conference, Senior Superintendent Benjamin Magalong denied earlier claims by PDEA Director-General Dionisio Santiago that Subic has become a transshipment point for the rave drug “Ecstasy.”

“No, there are no reports that Subic is a transshipment point for Ecstasy,” Magalong said.

In a related development, SBMA officials have commended the freeport’s law enforcers for their “critical role” in foiling the shabu smuggling attempt.

Arreza said the SBMA board of directors has approved step promotions and commendations for members of the SBMA Law Enforcement Department, who first intercepted the eight boxes offloaded by Ang from F/B Shun Fa Xing on the night of May 25 at the freeport’s SRF compound.

He said this eventually led to the discovery by the joint SBMA-PASG team of the 714.6 kilos of shabu, some of which were found in a vehicle parked near a warehouse, as well as two bags floating near the Riviera Pier where the F/B Shun Fa Xing was docked.

Arreza, however, declined to name the law enforcers who were commended “for security reasons.”

Sen. Richard Gordon has also commended the operatives of the SBMA and PASG.