Police on Wednesday arrested two Taiwanese and four of their Filipino cohorts in Sta. Ana, Cagayan after a kilogram of shabu and shabu precursors were taken from their laboratory, according to the Cagayan Provincial Police Office based in Tuguegarao City.
Cagayan police director Senior Supt. Ronaldo Olay confirmed the anti-illegal drug operation that was participated by officers and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Olay said operation occurred at 8 a.m. at the mini-shabu lab located along Elmar Street in Barangay Centro. The place is also known as Samok-Samok.
“We’ve yet to get an official estimate from the PDEA as to the street value of the confiscated shabu and as well as the precursors and other materials used for the manufacture of shabu,” Olay said.
He said the raid against the suspects’ lair was prompted by a verified intelligence reports about the operation of the mini-shabu lab.
The search warrant (No. 5091-15) was issued by Judge Fernando T. Sagun of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 78, Quezon City.
In the official after-operation report, the two arrested Taiwanese were identified as Ke Chui Long, 36, and Tsay Jang Yih, 33.
Their local cohorts were identified as Sanny Cangas y Dican, 28, Mario Umengan y Aruluan, 51, Alberto Dican y Tomas, 46, all residents of Babuyan Claro, Calayan, Cagayan and Dennis Albino y Icat, 41, of Ammunitan, Gonzaga, Cagayan.
Seized items during the raid was a Ziploc bag containing more or less a kilogram of shabu, two other bags containing white crystalline substance suspected to be ephedrine weighing more or less 2 kilos; and 15 white sacks labeled with “Calcium Chloride CA Cl2 75% 40 kilos” containing white flakes suspected to be caustic soda.
Olay said the all the detained suspects were charged for violation of Article II of Republic Act 9165.
In February this year, the PDEA and local police had busted a multi-billion shabu laboratory in Lasam town in western Cagayan with the arrest of suspected maintainer Filipino-Chinese Benjamin Chua, 61, a former barangay captain in Gattaran, Cagayan.
Also arrested was lawyer Orlino Agatep Sr., 66, former mayor of Lasam and one of the suspected maintainers of the shabu lab; Nelson Mallari, 50; Joey Ancheta alias Jojo, 38; and George Cortez, 55, all residents of Lasam. High-powered firearms were also seized from them.
During inquest, Chua reportedly died of a heart attack inside the Prosecutor’s Office in Tuguegarao City.
Residents say the shabu lab was being protected by a relative of an influential politician and by some local policemen.