Drugbusters raid Paco warehouse

Some eight tons of assorted chemicals used in the manufacture of shabu were seized in a raid conducted by anti-drug agents on a shipping firm warehouse in Paco, Manila yesterday.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Anselmo Avenido personally supervised the anti-drug operation inside the warehouse of PAC Atlantic Shipping Lines Inc. on Sanciangco street, Otis in Paco.

Found inside the warehouse were controlled precursors and essential chemicals, including dichlorothane, hydrochloric acid, acetone, sodium acetate anhydrous, sodium hydroxide and activated carbon powder. Also found were a porcelain funnel, filter paper and an oil pump.

The seized chemicals, when processed, could produce 3,000 kilos of shabu.

Cargo records showed the items were shipped to the country via PAC Atlantic Shipping Lines from Keelung, Taiwan on two occasions and were hidden with other goods and merchandise. The first shipment date was on April 23 and the second on May 4.

Avenido said the two shipments were both addressed to a certain Mr. Wang.

The presence of the illegal chemicals was tipped off last Thursday by an informant to PDEA agents, who wasted no time in securing the area and immediately applying for a search warrant.

The warrant was granted by National Capital Region Executive Judge Enrico Lanzanas.

With the go-ahead signal from PAC Atlantic management, PDEA agents swooped down on the warehouse yesterday and found the stockpile of shabu-making chemicals inside.

For the past months, a number of big shabu laboratories based in Manila and Cavite, all capable of processing tons of shabu, have been dismantled by police and PDEA agents.

Avenido said appropriate charges will be filed against individuals involved in the shipment of the illegal chemicals.

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said drug syndicates have come up with a new scheme to avoid being detected by the government agents going after them.

Ruel Lasala of the NBI-Illegal Drug Task Force said drug lords are stocking their chemicals in several places to minimize loses each time a raid is conducted by government agents.

"Drug lords are losing billions of pesos whenever agents dismantle a shabu laboratory. To avoid having their operations crippled, they divide the chemical stocks and hide them in numerous warehouses," Lasala explained.

Lasala made the assessment a day after some 130 boxes of thionyl hydrochloride, a chemical used in manufacturing shabu were seized from a warehouse along San Pedro street in Balut, Tondo, Manila last Friday. The chemicals from China were placed in cans with bamboo shoots and fresh meat to prevent from being detected.

Lasala explained that drug lords are also taking advantage of the fact that the Philippine ports do not have X-ray machines that could screen every container van in the ports in Manila and in Subic.– With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Edu Punay