Hold order sought vs owner of warehouse that stored P6.25-B shabu

Senator Richard Gordon wants a hold departure order issued against the owner of the warehouse where the P6.25 billion shabu was seized in Valenzuela City.

During the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Monday, Gordon said he will ask Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III to seek an order preventing Richard Tan, owner of Hongfei Logistics warehouse, from leaving the country as the Senate probes the shipment of 605 kilograms of shabu into the country from China.

Hours before the May 26 raid, Neil Estrella, director of the BOC’s Intelligence and Investigation Service (IIS), said he met with Tan, a Taiwanese national, inside the car near a supermarket in Valenzuela City. He also gave Tan the Letter of Authority from the BOC to conduct a raid on his warehouse.

“I called (Tan) and asked him for a meet up so I could interview and validate the information provided by our counterpart from China,” Estrella said.

Explaining why they met in a car in the wee hours of May 26, Estrella said Tan was fearing for his life.

According to Customs broker Mark Ruben Taguba II, Tan knew of the illegal shipment even before the authorities raided his warehouse.

“Siguradong sigurado po ako na siya nag-karga ng drugs,” Taguba told the Senate panel.

(I’m very sure that he carried the drugs.)

He later clarified: “Siya ang nagparating ng drugs pero hindi ko alam kung siya ang may-ari ng drugs.”

(He transported the drugs but I don’t know if he owns the drugs.)

Taguba facilitated the delivery of the container which allegedly had the five metal cylinders, weighing 200 kilograms each.

But he denied that the cylinders stuffed with hundreds of shabu plastics inside came from the container he delivered.

To prove his claim, his drivers testified before the panel that when they unloaded the products from the container last May 23, three days before the raid, the boxes they carried were light.

“Noong inunload nila, puro kahon lang ang binaba. Sa bigat ng cylinder, kailangan ng forklift. Imposibleng nanggaling sa container ‘yung shabu,” Taguba said.

(When they unloaded, it was only boxes that they brought down. They would need forklifts if it were heavy cylinders. It’s impossible the shabu came from the container.)

He also slammed Customs officials—chief Nicanor Faeldon and Estrella—for taking a picture with Tan after the raid.

“Wala namang lumalabas na balita kay Richard Tan. Lahat ng balita si EMT at Marcellana. Bakit hindi naimbestigahan ‘yung tao kung saan natagpuan ‘yung droga. Doon nila nakita ‘yung droga, nagpa-picture pa sila. Pinost pa noong May 27,” Taguba said.

(There was no news coming out on Richard Tan. It was all about EMT and Marcellana. Why didn’t they investigate the person from whom the drugs were found? That’s where they found drugs, and then took photos. They posted it last May 27.)

He was referring to the consignee of the shipment EMT Trading and Customs broker Teejay Marcellana, who are being blamed for the delivery of the drugs. JE