P3-B shabu seized in Valenzuela

MANILA, Philippines - Anti-narcotics operatives on Friday seized 604 kilos of shabu with a street value of P3 billion at two warehouses in Valenzuela City, a result of the cooperation between Philippine and Chinese law enforcement authorities.

Around 604 kilos of shabu were found in a warehouse in Barangay Paso de Blas and some 100 kilos of the same drug were seized at another warehouse in Barangay Ugong.

The information about the large shipment of drugs came from China, through its Office of the National Narco-tics Control Commission and Narcotics Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Safety.

Operatives from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Bureau of Customs, National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police were involved in the operation, which began shortly before 6 a.m. and lasted until afternoon.

“This is the first successful operation that is a result of the cooperation between the authorities of China and the Philippine government,” PDEA director general Isidro Lapeña said in a press briefing yesterday.

After the state visit of President Duterte in Beijing in October last year, anti-narcotics agencies from both countries agreed on intelligence sharing and joint operations against illegal drugs. It was followed by a bilateral meeting and investigation in February and March this year, when the initial details of the joint operation were discussed.

Director Wilkins Villanueva, who heads PDEA’s National Capital Region office, said a Filipino informant relayed to the BOC about a shipment of drugs in Valenzuela. Four crates were found in the first warehouse in Paso de Blas while a fifth crate was located in Ugong.

The consignee of the drug, identified as Fidel Dee, was arrested during the operation. Villanueva said Dee was the caretaker of the shipment being brought to the warehouse for distribution to other factories.

“He was being paid P8,000 a month as caretaker,” Villanueva said.

A manhunt is ongoing for two Taiwanese, identified as Jhu Ming-Jyun and Chen Min, who rented the warehouses. They are facing charges of violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

“We have sought a hold departure order against these two people,” Villanueva said.

The drugs confiscated at Paso de Blas were turned over to the NBI while the ones seized in Ugong are in the custody of PDEA.