THE five Chinese nationals who were arrested in the house of alleged big-time Chinese drug lord Mico Tan, who was slain in a police operation last week, have been charged before the Valenzuela City regional trial court.
The arraignment came after the Department of Justice approved the finding of probable cause against Yinglie Xu alias Henry Co, Xiong Bo He, Xiao Zhen He, Hao He and Xu Yingmei for possession of illegal drugs.
The investigating prosecutor found sufficient basis in the complaint filed by the Philippine National Police-Anti-Illegal Drugs Group and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency against the five.
Almost six kilos of ephedrine, a component for producing shabu, were seized from the five when they were arrested on July 22 in the house of Tan in Linguanan village, which is believed to be a shabu laboratory. Tan was killed in an alleged gunfight while attempting to escape.
“The plentitude of the evidence presented adequately established that the respondents… have dominion and control of the white crystalline substance with a total registered weight of 5.8091 kilograms of ephedrine, a dangerous drug,” said the resolution approved by Prosecutor General Claro Arellano.
Tan’s group is believed to be the supplier of shabu in the National Capital Region and neighboring provinces. He was the biggest fish caught so far in the intensified anti-illegal drugs drive under the Duterte administration, which has so far targeted mostly small-time pushers.
