Police raid alleged HK triad office

Police raided yesterday an office in Binondo, Manila believed a "front" of a Hongkong triad, an international drug syndicate operating in the country.

The raid at the 2002 Brokerage, 2002 Import and Export and the Garcia and Garcia law firm, all located at 501 Chinatown Steel Tower Building along Asuncion street in Binondo came after lawmen swooped down Thursday on the drug syndicate’s warehouse in Paco where 707 grams of shabu and drug hauling equipment were recovered.

"We made history here," said Narcotics Group (Narcgroup) chief Director Efren Fernandez of the twin raids in Manila, which he said, broke the backbone of the Hongkong triad’s major drug distribution pipeline. "We were able to identify their warehouses and uncover their legal fronts. And by doing so, we hope to completely put to a stop the drug syndicate’s operations in the country," said Fernandez in an interview.

Fernandez said the series of raids which yielded 391 kilos of shabu in Zambales, Pasay City and Manila starting last month is a major breakthrough in the Arroyo administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.

At least ten undocumented Chinese nationals were arrested in the raids. Combined elements of the Narcgroup and the Regional Intelligence and Special Operation Office (RISCO) were armed with search warrants issued by Judge Mario Guaninia III, of Branch 13 of the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) when they raided the drug syndicate’s bodega and legal offices. – Non Alquitran