Anti-drug body finds no link in Parañaque haul to Mexican cartel

MANILA, Philippines- The four men arrested in Parañaque City on Friday with 200 kilos of crystal methamphetamine (“shabu”) worth about P1 billion have no links to the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) spokesperson Chief Inspector Roque Merdegia said the haul “showed no indication” that it was linked to the deadly Mexican drug cartel.

Merdegia however hinted that the methamphetamine could have been sent to the country by another  group with an international operation.

AIDSOTF chief, Senior Superintendent Bartolome Tobias, earlier said the 200 kilos of shabu were contained in white cloth sacks which were then stuffed into six wooden crates.

One of the arrested men, later identified as Robert Tan, 33; told members of the arresting AIDSOTF team that he did not know what the boxes contained. Tan said he and the other three arrested suspects - Oliver Tan, 26; Mark Jun San Miguel, 29; and Felino Diamse, 49 – were just told to get the boxes from a hotel in the city and deliver them to Cavite where they would then be paid P70,000 for the delivery.

Police said the four men were arrested at about 1 p.m. as they were aboard a silver Mitsubishi Adventure van (WVI-579) along the Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard. Merdegia said the van is owned by Robert Tan’s wife.

Merdegia said the four arrested suspects, who are detained at Camp Crame, have been charged with transporting illegal drugs (Section 5) under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. - Mike Frialde