South Koreans, Pinoys nabbed in Makati drug raid

Six people, three of them South Koreans, believed to be smuggling illegal drugs abroad through courier service, were arrested on Monday by the Quezon City police in Makati City.

Senior Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, Quezon City Police District director, identified the Koreans as Bang Kho Laem, 49; Jintaek Lee, 42; and Isaac Kho, 51.

Also arrested were three Filipinos: Jaypee Soriano, 24; Arby Diaz, 20; and Kathleen Nonato, 32. The police said they were looking for another Filipino identified as Lyn Paz.

When arrested, Kho said he was an agent of the National Intelligence Service of South Korea although Eleazar said they were still verifying his claim.

Police reports said a joint QCPD team raided a room at an upscale condominium in Barangay Poblacion, Makati City, at 11:20 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Retrieved from the room were nearly 250 grams of “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) worth P1.25 million, drug paraphernalia, a .22-cal. revolver, two laptops, 10 cell phones and four samurai swords.

According to the police, the drugs were concealed in the overlapping flaps of expandable envelopes which were then sent through courier service to South Korea. Each envelope could carry at least 16 grams of shabu, they added.