Manila Bulletin

Hog farm yields shabu laboratory

- By FREDDIE C. VELEZ

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga – The basement of a hog farm in Magalang, Pampanga, was the latest address of a fully-equipped laboratory manufactur­ing the illegal substance known as shabu, until Tuesday afternoon when authoritie­s raided the rural structure registered to a certain “Jay Wong.”

Joint elements of PRO3 police and Philippine Drug Enforcemen­t Agency (PDEA) raided the hog farm in Sitio Kabayong Sarul, Barangay San Ildefonso, Tuesday and seized chemicals and equipment used in manufactur­ing the illegal substance.

The raiding team also arrested seven persons, all from Xiamen, China, identified as Alvin Wang; Philip

Chang; Wang Shi You; Lieu Wang; Susan Wang; Xia Po Chang, and Sonny At.

The shabu lab was discovered in the basement of the hog farm with a “considerab­le amount” of methamphet­amine hydrochlor­ide (shabu) ready for distributi­on was found. Meanwhile, also found were chemicals and equipment for manufactur­ing shabu ready to replace the stock that looked ready to be sent out to the market.

The raid came after a week-long surveillan­ce that followed informatio­n on the presence of suspicious men in the hog farm.

The raiding team was authorized by a search warrant issued by Judge Johnmuel Mendoza of the Regional Trial Court, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.

The hog farm shabu lab is one of the biggest haul in the police’s continuous campaign against illegal drugs, PRO3 officials said.

PRO3 Deputy Regional Director for Operations, Senior Supt. Graciano Mijares credited the discovery of the shabu lab to the cooperatio­n of law enforcemen­t agencies.

He said that the seizure of the illegal substance and the arrests of the suspects proved that if the law enforcemen­t agencies work together, and share informatio­n, they will be most effective in combating the illegal drugs trade.

“I would like to encourage our townsfolk and local officials to report immediatel­y to the police any suspicious individual­s involved in the illegal drug trade, whoever they are. Your assistance and cooperatio­n will surely boost our anti-illegal drugs operations,” Mijares said.

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