4 Chinese nationals face drug raps

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recently filed charges against four suspected Chinese nationals and five Filipinos in connection with the discovery of a clandestine shabu laboratory in Caloocan City last month.

NBI Director Nestor Mantaring said they already filed the charges against Robert Li, alias Robert Lee; James Lim; Erik Diaz, alias Rommel Ng and Leo Lee Tan.

Other respondents in the case are Po Siok Cardenas, Salvacion Cardenas, Jon Selig Siy Cardenas, John Yang Cardenas and David Yang Cardenas.

Charges of violating provisions of Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, were lodged before the Caloocan City Prosecutor’s Office. All of them remain at large.

Assistant Regional Director Vicente de Guzman III, of the NBI-Special Action Unit (SAU), said four of the nine suspects – Li, Lim, Po Siok Cardenas and Tan – are believed to be Chinese nationals.

He said the search warrants were issued against Li, Lim and Diaz. The building was owned by the Cardenas family. Records showed that the house was leased to Tan.

"We checked on Tan’s given address but it turned out to be fictitious. We even got a certification from the barangay officials who attested that they did not know anyone by that name living in their area," said De Guzman.

Special Investigator Isaac Carpeso Jr., the officer-in-charge of the case, cited in his six-page report that sometime in December last year, they received information that Li, Lim and Diaz and others are allegedly members of a well-organized drug syndicate whose operations reportedly extended from China, India, Malaysia and the Philippines.

After conducting a surveillance operation and discreet inquiries, NBI agents stumbled into a three-story residential-commercial establishment with the sign in Chinese characters that said "for rent" at no. 144 P. Sevilla street corner 4th Avenue, Grace Park, Caloocan City.

The NBI raided the establishment last Feb. 16 and found a huge quantity of chemicals used in producing methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu. The chemicals, contained in 23 drums, were turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for safekeeping.