‘Floating shabu lab’ intercepted in Subic waters

Authorities inspect this foreign vessel in the municipal waters of Subic that was suspected of being used to manufacture and ship shabu (methamphetamine hydrocloride) into the country. Four Chinese nationals from Hong Kong who were on board the ship and were suspected of being involved in drug smuggling were also arrested. ALLAN MACATUNO/INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON

SUBIC, Zambales – Authorities on Monday (July 11) night intercepted a foreign vessel  suspected of being used to manufacture and ship shabu (methamphetamine hydrocloride) into the country.

Agents from the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP), who led the operation, boarded the vessel off the coastline of this town at about 9 p.m. to search for shabu.

Four Chinese nationals from Hong Kong on board the ship and suspected of being involved in drug smuggling were arrested.

Police found a plastic bag containing suspected shabu weighing about 500 grams from one of the Chinese.

Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, chief of Philippine National Police, arrived here at around midnight to check on the operation.

Director General Roland “Bato” Dela Rosa, chief of Philippine National Police, inspects the foreign vessel that authorities intercepted on Monday evening in Subic, Zambales on suspicion that it is being used to produce and transport shabu into the country. Four Chinese nationals from Hong Kong who were on board the ship and were suspected of being involved in drug smuggling were arrested and turned over to the Bureau of Immigration. ALLAN MACATUNO/INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON

“We received an intelligence report that this vessel is being used to transport shabu coming from overseas,” Dela Rosa told reporters.

He said the ship could have also been used as a laboratory to produce shabu.

Police found a plastic bag containing suspected shabu weighing about 500 grams from one of the Chinese who were arrested in a foreign vessel that was suspected of being used to produce and transport shabu into the country. ALLAN MACATUNO/INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON

According to Dela Rosa, they will check if the seized vessel is connected to the recovered 180 kilograms of suspected shabu in Claveria town in Cagayan province.

READ: Cops seize P1-B worth of shabu in Cagayan

“For sure, we will be connecting some dots to see if there’s any link,” he said. CDG/rga