Chinese, Filipino couple charged for running shabu lab

MANILA, Philippines—Police filed, on Thursday night, illegal possession of drugs and firearms charges against a couple and a Chinese who were arrested on Christmas day in a drug raid at a storage facility in Batangas that yielded plastic bags of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) with a street value of P420 million.

Charged with illegal possession of dangerous drugs as well as illegal possession of firearms were Gary Tan, and the couple, Argay and Rochelle Argenos.

They were also charged with illegal possession of firearms after several weapons were also found at the storage facility in a compound reportedly owned by former Batangas Gov. Antonio Leviste.

The three suspects were brought to the Department of Justice for inquest before the office of Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera.

This came as Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) founding chair and president Dante Jimenez wrote President Benigno Aquino III a letter reiterating the group’s appeal for him to recall the parole granted to Leviste following the drug raid in a storage facility that the latter reportedly owned.

Jimenez quoted a Philippine Daily Inquirer report that the shabu storage facility was reportedly owned by Leviste, who had just been granted parole after he had been convicted in 2009 for the killing of his longtime aide.

“Mr. Leviste is leasing out the property to a certain Jorge Torres…who is subject of an intensive manhunt for illegal drug trafficking  offenses,” he said in his letter to the President. “While the ranch may not have been used by Leviste, per se, as a responsible owner, however, the law requires him to check out his tenants and how his property is being used.”

He said that Leviste could be “held jointly and solidarily liable with the suspects for the use of his property for illegal drug activities.”

Jimenez, who was at the DOJ on Thursday, also told reporters that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had assured him her office would look into the possible liability of Leviste as owner of the ranch.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer asked De Lima about Jimenez’ statement through text messages but she has not replied to its query at press time Thursday night.

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