Taiwanese, Chinese drug ring in RP?

BAGUIO CITY – Chinese and Taiwanese drug ring members belonging to the “Ah Chang” Drug Group, which is connected with the “Chin Shan Lin” Drug Group that operates in the Asian Region have reportedly penetrated the country.

Naming the Taiwanese nationals’ alias as Chiu Lu Hsiang and alias Wu Jung Hsien and Chinese nationals’ alias Lin Hai Jung; alias Weng Shi Chiang and Wu Chih Yang, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) spokesman Derreck Carreon said this new development has prompted them and the Bureau of Immigration to forge a memorandum of agreement for closer links in the crackdown on transnational drug syndicates operating in the country.

The BI will play a focal point in terms of monitoring the members of transnational drug syndicates, providing intelligence support to PDEA and assisting in the conduct of joint investigations on foreigners who are linked to transnational drug groups, said Carreon.

The MOA signed on July 15 empowers both agencies as formidable partners for further enhancement of organized and systematic anti-drug operations, said Carreon who hinted that there is an increasing trend of aliens found to be involved in the drug trade in the country.

He cited the busted clandestine shabu laboratory in sitio Arcao, Barangay Maragundun, Real, Quezon and its chemical warehouse at Lot 1, Block 23 Doña Justina Street, Filinvest South Subdivision, Biñan, Laguna swooped down by PDEA and the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau of Taiwan on July 16. Taiwanese and Chinese personalities were targeted, Carreon said.

The simultaneous raids on July 16 were based on orders of Judge Thelma Penferrada, executive judge of RTC Branch 104 in Quezon City to search the clandestine lab in Real, Quezon and the chemical warehouse in Biñan, Laguna.

Seized were liquid methamphetamine hydrochloride, various precursors, and essential chemicals including laboratory equipment with an estimated value of at least P300 million.

“This major accomplishment is the fourth clandestine shabu laboratory dismantled by drug law enforcement authorities this year,” said Carreon, while beaming that they will “continue to break the fulcrum of the status quo in the drug situation due to its strategic shift involving target rationalization and intelligence-based operations.”

Rotation

Meanwhile, Police Superintendent Jane Aunzo’s relief on Aug. 4 as PDEA chief in Region 1 was because of the usual rotation of officers and definitely not because of her spilling information to journalists on the busted shabu lab in Naguillian town, La Union.

Carreon said Aunzo was scheduled for relief earlier because of the usual rotation of key officers, but was not immediately implemented because the official recommendation included some detailed police officers whose reliefs have yet to be decided by the PDEA selection committee.