Shabu is being cooked in underground tunnels inside the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) facility, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said on Thursday.
He said they received information that drug syndicates smuggled shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride into the national penitentiary by mixing it with bottled water and then once inside, those involved in the illegal drugs trade boil the water until the crystals or precipitate remain behind as shabu.
“Investigations are ongoing to identify the officials and personnel of the NBP involved or might have colluded with those involved in the illegal drugs trade,” Aguirre said.
Last Wednesday, the DOJ already deployed 320 members of the elite Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police to secure the prison while the prison employees are completing their specialized training on jail management and security.
After completing their refresher course, the BuCor jail guards will be re-assigned to other prison facilities aside from NBP.
The NBP is one of the seven penal colonies and prisons administered by the BuCor.
The six other prison facilities are the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City, Davao Prison and Penal Farm, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm, Leyte Regional Prison and the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm. TVJ