Shabu found in abandoned QC townhouse

The tenant of the townhouse on Christian St, Grace Village, Barangay Apolonio Samson, Quezon City, had not paid the rent since March so the owner decided it was time to check the place.

When the townhouse was opened in the presence of lawyers and authorities on Saturday, there was no one inside but what they found was astounding: 10 kilos of what is believed to be shabu that could be worth 135 million and chemicals used in the making of the illegal substance, worth 120 million

Police described the townhouse as shabu laboratory that could produce around 200 kilos of shabu a week.

The townhouse owner, Wilson Lee, said a certain Daniel Geng, a native of China, rented the place last December.

Lee said he became concerned after Geng failed to pay the rent after the fourth month. So he notified the police and barangay officials.

Wilkins Villanueva, who heads the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the National Capital Region, said the townhouse was under surveillance several months ago.

Villanueva also linked Geng to three other Chinese who were arrested last month on suspicion of running a shabu lab in Las Piñas and Parañaque.

The three, Shih-ming Tsai, Kuochuan Cheng, and Chun-ming Lin, also ran their operation from a rented house.

The PDEA took custody of the townhouse and the items inside.

Villanueva estimated the seized white crystalline substance to be 10 kgs which he said if confirmed to be Methamphetamine Hydrochloride or “shabu” could amount to 135 million if disposed in retail in the market, while the laboratory equipment and the apparatus as well assorted chemicals in manufacturing “shabu” could amount to 120 million.

Senior Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar, Quezon City police chief, advised the public to be wary in renting out their property.