Cops monitor floating shabu labs in Aurora

BALER, Aurora, Philippines – The Central Luzon police has warned residents in the coastal communities in this province to be wary of the so-called floating shabu laboratories similar to what was discovered in Zambales last month.

Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Aaron Aquino said it is possible that there are floating shabu laboratories in the area, noting that drug syndicates nowadays are doing everything to avoid detection.

“This is possible in Aurora because the province lies within the Pacific Ocean,” Aquino said.

He said a shabu laboratory is ideal to operate in the sea than in a community, where it is easy to detect.

“It may be difficult to operate a laboratory in the sea, but it is also hard for authorities to raid it.

Last month, a fishing vessel that allegedly served as a shabu laboratory was discovered off the coast of Subic in Zambales.

Four Chinese from Hong Kong were arrested and half a kilo of suspected shabu with an estimated value of P2.5 million was seized.

Intelligence agencies are also monitoring the waters off the Visayas and Mindanao amid reports that drug lords are manufacturing shabu on yachts.