‘Shabu’ found in septic tank

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — At least 110 packs of suspected shabu were found in a septic tank of a vacant building in Estancia, Iloilo on Tuesday afternoon.

The alleged drugs, weighing 149 kilos and wrapped in four garbage bags, were found by the carpenters hired to repair the building in Barangay Bulaquena, according to Col. Roland Vilela, Iloilo police chief.

The carpenters informed their employer, former Estancia mayor Rene Cordero, about the matter.

Cordero, a hotel operator, said he owns the building and had it repaired for the expansion of his business operations.

He said he hired the carpenters to repair the septic tank as it was one of the requirement for the expansion of his business.

Cordero told police that a Taiwanese, whom he identified as Chin Tse Lin, rented the property in 2001.

He said the Taiwanese constructed the building for his squid-processing business.

In 2016, Lin left the property without any word to Cordero, who presented a copy of the lease contract to the police.

Vilela said they submitted the packs of ‘drugs’ for laboratory examination.

Alex Tablate, chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Western Visayas, said they would investigate the matter.