PNP chemist: Raiding team got liquid shabu

Another forensic chemist, the prosecution's second witness, yesterday testified that tests on the chemicals the raiding team had seized from a warehouse in Umapad, Mandaue City were found positive of methyl amphetamine hydrochloride, or liquid shabu.

Inspector Alexander David Patriana, of the PNP regional crime laboratory, told the court he was one of those who conducted an inventory of seized items, took pictures of them, and took out samples for laboratory examinations.

Patriana, answering the direct examination of state prosecutor Pablo Fumaran, said the results of the confirmatory test at the central office also showed the samples were positive of liquid shabu.

He also described all the equipment seized inside the warehouse were used for the manufacture of shabu, confirming the earlier testimony of PNP crime lab chief Myrna Areola.

Areola, in the first hearing of the case the other day, said the recovered four hydrogenators, a scrubber and a freezer confirmed there were activities to manufacture illegal drugs inside the warehouse.

Authorities raided the warehouse last September 24 and arrested 11 people, mostly foreign nationals, found allegedly making shabu inside the place.

The Regional Trial Court-Mandaue City of Judge Marilyn Lagura Yap has been holding trials of the case against these 11 suspects, now known as the Shabu 11. The alleged financier, Calvin Tan, is now detained in Hong Kong and the government has been fighting for his extradition to face also his charges here.

Warehouse owners Andy Ng and Richard Ong were also indicted for allegedly allowing their building to be used for manufacturing the illegal drug, They are currently out on bail.

The warehouse, which yielded at least 675 kilos of shabu worth P1.5 billion during the raid, was said to be the biggest shabu laboratory in Southeast Asia.

Judge Yap has scheduled the next hearing of the case on June 22 when the prosecution is set to continue its direct examination of Patriana.