P3 M worth of brandy seized

The Department of the Interior and Local Government-Special Task Force (DILG-STF) arrested Tuesday a Filipino-Chinese trader and his two helpers for stealing some P3 million worth of Fundador brandy from a warehouse inside the Customs compound in Manila last week.

Arrested were Ernesto Tan Chua, a restaurant owner, of 6 Agno street; his truck helpers Jose Ramos and Edgar Albarco, of 589 Quirino Highway, Bagbag, all in Quezon City.

Superintendent Raul Castañeda, DILG-STF chief, said the three were arrested in an entrapnment operation at Chua’s warehouse at 7 Malasimbo st., Barangay Masambong, Quezon City last Tuesday.

Castañeda said a total of 1,168 boxes of Fundador brandy were confiscated.

Investigation showed that George Agregado of Lip Hook International Limited reported to STF the mysterious disappearance of 2,080 boxes of brandy from Customs security warehouse 159. Agregado asked the task force to help them recover the brandy.

After a week-long surveillance, the STF managed to locate Tan and his warehouse. A poseurbuyer contacted Chua who agreed to sell 500 boxes of brandy for P800,000, on condition that the money must be deposited in a bank.

The undercover agent asked to first buy one box as an initial deal, to which Chua agreed. Police arrested the suspects after the test-buy.

Chua, however, denied that they had stolen the brandy, claiming the liquor was sold to him by a certain Henry Salazar, who claimed to have imported the liquor. – Cecille Suerte Felipe