Valenzuela City Congressman Win Gatchalian commended the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP-AIDG) for busting an international drug ring, which conceals drugs in legitimate shipments to smuggle the contraband into other countries, including the Philippines.

“We would like to commend the PDEA and the PNP-AIDG for nipping in the bud the drug ring that tried to use Valenzuela City as transshipment point for their illegal operations. The two anti-drug units’ accurate intelligence and swift police action led to the arrest of drug dealer and the seizure of around P180 million worth of shabu,” said Gatchalian, who was a three-term mayor of Valenzuela City.

On Tuesday, agents of PDEA and PNP-AIDG seized around P180 million worth of suspected “shabu” or methamphetamine hydrochloride from two Chinese-Filipino men, both believed to be members of the international drug network.

The anti-drug operation was closely coordinated with the Valenzuela City police with Mayor Rex Gatchalian immediately going to the warehouse where the millions of pesos worth of shabu were discovered.

Police said Sonny Perrine Ang, 67, and Tiuseco Sia Benito, 47, were arrested around 8:30 a.m. after the van they were riding in came out of a warehouse on East Service Road in Barangay Lawang Bato, Valenzuela City. Recovered from them were three bags containing 36 vacuum-sealed aluminum foil packs, each containing a kilo of shabu.

The joint team next raided the warehouse where they found 12 heavy-duty turret drilling machines still packed in crates and wrapped in cellophane while surrounded by 148 opened foil packs. Authorities believed that the drugs seized from Ang and Benito were hidden in the base of the drilling machines and originally wrapped in the foil packs.

“The fact that the arrested suspects are reportedly members of the Asia Drug Network, a narcotics gang operating in China, the Philippines and Hong Kong, is already a cause for alarm. It is good to know that PDEA and PNP-AIDG have been working very hard to bust this syndicate and they deserve our congratulations for job well done,” said Gatchalian. (R. Burgos)