Camp Olivas, Pampanga—Operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) demolished Thursday a “kitchen-type” laboratory of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu following a raid at a home in barangay Cawag, Subic, Zambales.
A caretaker—Joven Salvador, 36—who was present during the raid was arrested.
PDEA regional director Christian Frivaldo said the laboratory could produce one kilo of shabu finish product per day.
“Kaya nga ‘kitchen’ lang dahil maliitan lang ang nagagawang finished products (That’s why it’s called a ‘kitchen’ because it can only turn out small amounts of finished products),” he said.
The raiding team, Frivaldo said, found volumes of precursor chemicals and other laboratory equipment essential in manufacturing illegal drugs in one room of the residential unit. He said Chinese-looking men have occupied the place for quite a long time.
“Residence in the community told the raiding team that several Chinese-looking men have been seen occupying the house in the past months,” Frivaldo told reporters.
Confiscated pieces of evidence will be turned over to PDEA Region 3 Laboratory for qualitative examination.
Violation of Section 6 (manufacturing of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals) of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act will be filed against the suspect.
