8 people linked to illegal drug shipment in lookout bulletin

National Bureau of Investigation personnel display hundreds of plastic bags containing kilos of shabu, part of a P6.4-billion shipment seized from a warehouse in Valenzuela City, on Friday, May 27, 2017, based on a tip from Chinese authorities. (Photo by MARIANNE BERMUDEZ / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has ordered the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to place in its lookout bulletin Richard Tan and seven others, including a private customs broker and a customs official implicated in the shipment of P6.4-billion worth of shabu.

Tan is the owner of Hongfei Logistics in Valenzuela where the shabu was found.

Aside from Tan, also to be included in the lookout bulletin order are Kenneth Dong or Dong Yi Shen Xi, the alleged middleman of the shipment; Fidel Dee, the consignee of the shipment; Jhu Ming-Jyun and Che Min who rented the warehouse; and Mark Ruben Taguba, a private customs broker an Larribert Hilario, head of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) Risk Management Office.

The DOJ issued the lookout order upon the request of Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, who is conducting an investigation on the matter.

“Considering the gravity of the offenses possibly committed, there is a strong possibility that the foregoing personalities may attempt to place themselves beyond  the reach of the legal processes of this Department by leaving the country,” Aguirre’s order said.

“We thus deem the issuance of an ILBO against the the subject prudent in order to at least monitor the itineraries of the flight, travel and/or whereabourts,” Aguirre’s order, which was released Wednesday, further stated.

A person subject of an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) can still leave the country subject to conditions and requirements, including clearance from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Aguirre ordered the BI to be on alert for the seven individuals in the ILBO.

He also instructed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to obtain additional information on the seven personalities – such as their latest photos, other known aliases, place of birth, and copies of their passports.

Aguirre also required the Prosecutor General to regularly update the BI on the status of complaints and cases filed against them.

The BOC is currently underfire after investigation showed that it allowed the entry of the P6.4 billion worth of shabu in the country. The shipment has managed to enter the country after the BOC failed to tag it as a “contraband” in its classification system.

The House of Representatives is also conducting an investigation on the matter. /atm