P10-million bounty sought for shabu smuggler

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is asking President Arroyo to put up a P10-million reward for any information that will lead to the arrest of a Chinese national who tried to smuggle some 700 kilos of high-grade shabu into the country via the Subic Freeport Zone last year.

Members of Task Force Double A, the inter-agency unit created to investigate the smuggling attempt, said a multimillion-peso bounty would definitely help in the manhunt for Anthony Ang, the suspected drug trafficker.

PDEA Director General Dionisio Santiago said the President is also being asked to put up a P1-million reward each for one Robert Lee and another Chinese national.

“P10 million for Ang, five would be too small,” he told The STAR, stressing that Task Force Double A is after a big-time drug trafficker who has gone into hiding.

Santiago said Ang appears to have left the country but a bounty would still be helpful in locating him abroad.

“It should lead to (Ang’s) arrest. The information should be verifiable,” he said, expressing hope that Malacañang would grant PDEA’s request.

Santiago said Task Force Double A is also asking for a small budget since it will eventually become a semi-permanent group that can be activated anytime for future operations against big-time drug syndicates.

Santiago said the PDEA, Subic authorities, the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group, the Office of the Solicitor General, Bureau of Customs, and other government agencies are working together to find Ang.

Government agents, according to Santiago, are conducting discreet operations and are gathering information with the help of their Chinese counterparts.

Ang is accused of trying to bring in 700 kilos of shabu into the country through the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in May last year.

Subic authorities intercepted Ang’s crates from Taiwan which later turned out to contain shabu of 95 percent purity.

Ang allegedly managed to elude arrest by telling inspectors that he would just get some documents to prove that the cargo, before it was revealed to be shabu, was legal.