FOUR Chinese nationals were arrested and their “floating shabu laboratory ship” was seized by government agents Monday night off Calapandayan village in Subic, Zambales, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said.
He made the statement even as the Justice Department on Tuesday filed criminal charges against the three Taiwanese nationals arrested in separate raids on July 5 in which authorities seized P1.5 billion worth of high grade shabu and raw materials used for its manufacture.
Morente said the details on the arrested aliens were based on the official report submitted to him by Richard Emerson Chua, alien control officer of the Olongapo Field Office.
“Isa sa kanila ang kapitan ng barko. Base sa passport nila, dumating sila pitong araw na sa Pilipinas lahat sakay ng Cathay Pacific mula Hong Kong,” Chua told ABS-CBN.
“Tatlo sa apat ang first timer, samantalang iyung isa, in and out sa Pilipinas.”
Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa rushed to Zambales to inspect the shabu laboratory and to interview the suspects.
“Sa loob lang ng dalawang araw, nakakagawa na ng shabu. Ibabagsak sa dagat, may pi-pick-up na Pinoy sa mga lugar,” Dela Rosa said.
“Route possibly Ilocos to Cagayan and Ilocos to Pangasinan from Subic.”
Chua said he received a call at around 8:15 p.m. from an intelligence official from the Bureau of Customs requesting assistance to look into the documents of the four arrested Chinese-looking suspects.
Also with the operating team were agents from the PNP Anti-Illegal Drug Group led by Senior Superintendent Bert Fero and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
“After the operatives did a quick search of the vessel, they found what seemed to be a cooking area of some sort which they believed was used to cook metamphetamine [hydrochloride],” Chua said.
“As they [operatives] were going through the personal belongings of the four in front of the camera, a bag of shabu was found in one of the bags to our surprise.”