4 Sinos in shabu lab case want search warrant quashed

BALER, Aurora — The four Chinese nationals who were charged in connection with the raid on a clandestine shabu laboratory in Dingalan town last August have filed a motion asking the court to "quash the search warrant and suppress evidence" against them.

Lawyer William de los Santos filed the motion with Judge Armando Yanga of Regional Trial Court Branch 66 on behalf of the four accused — Sy Tho, Whang Tha Ti, Chin Na Chua, and Chen Chien — who are facing charges for violations of the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002.

The Aug. 30 raid on the shabu lab in Barangay Butas na Bato, Dingalan town yielded 5.44 kilograms of shabu worth about P120 million.

Pending resolution of the motion, Yanga said he still cannot set the arraignment of the four accused or carry out the order transferring them from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) detention center in Manila to the Aurora provincial jail.

According to Yanga, De los Santos wants his clients detained at the provincial jail to save on expenses, saying an average of P3,000 is being spent daily for their food alone.

Yanga said they are waiting for the prosecution team of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file an amended information to include another suspect before the court could issue a warrant of arrest.

He said he would oppose the DOJ’s plan to transfer the trial of the four Chinese nationals from this town to Manila.

Yanga told The STAR that the plan of Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño to change the venue insults the capability of the local court to try the case.

"Insulto naman ’yun. Bigyan naman nila kami ng chance to prove our worth. Otherwise, i-abolish na lang nila ‘yung court dito (That’s an insult. They should give us a chance to prove our worth. Otherwise, let them just abolish the court here)," he said.

Yanga said provincial prosecutor Jesse Pimentel is also against the move.

He said the police and the military could best handle security problems that may arise due to the trial. "You (deploy) a whole Army battalion armed with machine guns and the place is safe," he said.

Yanga said he would discuss the matter with Supreme Court Administrator Christopher Lock.

He said he is amenable to proposals to have the four accused remain in NBI custody while the case is being heard and to have them represented by their legal counsel during the hearings.