P20-million shabu, tools seized in soy sauce factory

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) seized some P20 million worth of shabu and drug-making equipment in a raid yesterday on a nondescript soy sauce factory that turned out to be a laboratory of the illegal drug in Barangay San Isidro here.

The haul, which included 500 grams of finished shabu valued at P3 million, was the biggest drug bust hereabouts in years, said Intelligence Officer 5 Filemon Ruiz, PDEA-Region 12 chief.

The illegal substance was regularly smuggled in 50-liter plastic containers of soy sauce in an unmarked white van to the lucrative drug markets in the cities of Davao and Cebu, and even Metro Manila, Ruiz said.

“The bust will definitely affect the price and supply of shabu among local users and suppliers,” he said.

According to a next-door neighbor, the factory moved in four months ago on a lot of one Isidro Mejia, with the factory owner introducing himself only as Doctor Ramil, who often gave out free samples of soy sauce to the unwary villagers.

PDEA agents found the exterior of the facility to be made of bamboo and other indigenous materials, but inside was a state-of-the-art laboratory that daily churned out high-grade shabu.

They were still determining the total volume of the substance which would still be processed into shabu and sold in the streets by local drug dealers.

No arrest was made, but Ruiz said the bust was a major break in their campaign not only to stop drug trafficking, but more importantly to identify the source of shabu and other illegal drugs being peddled in and sneaked out of central Mindanao.

He said Mejia was being sought to shed light on the illegal activities on his property.