Chinese drug suspect, Pinoy contacts nabbed

A suspected big-time Chinese drug trafficker and two of his Filipino contacts were arrested Tuesday in a simultaneous drug-bust by police anti-narcotics agents in Quezon City and Binondo, Manila.

The police operation also resulted in the seizure of five kilos of high-grade shabu neatly packed in 26 small tin containers of "Pringles" potato chips from the Chinese drug suspect and two more kilos of the illegal substance from his two Filipino contacts.

Nabbed were James Lee, 25, of Fujian, China, taxi driver Josefino Fernandez, 36, of 826 Linamas Street, Tondo, Manila and Elmer Dawa, 17, residing at Lot 42, Block 69, Phase 4, Bagong Silang, Caloocan City.

Director Efren Fernandez, chief of the Philippine National Police-Narcotics Group (PNP-NarcGroup), said the arrest of the three suspects practically plugged the drug pipeline of the China-based Wah Yah drug syndicate’s operations in the country.

"We have worked hard and started big, the Wah Yah pipeline has practically been destroyed. We are now in the process of sealing our gains," Fernandez said and disclosed that follow-up operations are underway to neutralize remnants of the syndicate.

According to Fernandez, Lee was arrested at about 2 p.m. Thursday at Panay and Timog Avenues. Half an hour later, Fernandez and Dawa fell into the hands of anti-narcotics agents as the duo, aboard a maroon Tamaraw FX with license plates PXA-216, delivered two kilos of shabu to a supposedly Binondo drug distributor who turned out to be a police undercover operative.

"These operations will be without let-up even during the Lenten season. There will be no holidays for us, the enemy is ruthless and it is the whole Filipino nation at stake. We cannot afford to release our guard; our call to the men is perpetual vigilance," said PNP chief Director General Leandro Mendoza in a press statement. — Jaime Laude