MANILA, Philippines - Arestado ang apat na Tsino matapos mabawian ng dalawang milyong halaga ng ilegal na droga sa isang sting operation ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) sa lalawigan ng Pampanga.
Nakilala ang mga suspek na sina Jason Barquin Lee, 29; Willy Yap, 26; Near Tan, 26; at YingYing Huang, 27.
Sabay na nilusob ng mga tauhan ng PDEA ang isang warehouse sa Greenville Subdivision, Barangay San Jose at isang bahay sa panulukan ng Rome at Moscow street sa Rich Town Subdivision, Barangay Sindalan sa San Fernando City.
Umabot sa 185 plastic bags na naglalaman ng 174.03 na kilo ng shabu ang nakumpiska ng mga awtoridad na tinatayang aabot sa P870 milyon ang halaga.
"Also parked inside the compound was an Isuzu closed van which yielded 20 plastic bags of 9.88 kilos of shabu and 233.81 kilos of ephedrine, with an estimated value of P49.4 million and P81.8 million, respectively,” paliwanag ni PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr.
Samantala, 276 plastic bags naman ng shabu na nagkakahalaga ng P1.383 milyon ang nasabat sa ikalawang palapag ng Rich Town Subdivision kung saan nasakote si Huang.
“Mere presence of ephedrine, a primary component in the production of shabu, would indicate that the warehouse is a clandestine laboratory. But the absence of equipment could mean that it was transferred somewhere else after the process because of the impurities left behind."
"Also, it is interesting to note that because of the voluminous amount of ephedrine found inside the closed van, there is a big possibility the illegal drug is bound for delivery to another facility, or has just been delivered,” wika ni Cacdac.
Nahaharap ang mga suspek sa kasong paglabag sa Section 8 (Manufacture of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs), Article II of Republic Act 9165, o ang Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Nakakulong ang mga suspek sa PDEA Jail Facility in Quezon City.