languishing in the country’s jails, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse M. Robredo disclosed today.

 

The DILG chief, citing reports submitted to him by PNP chief Raul Bacalzo, said of the 90 foreigners arrested, 77 are still detained and undergoing trial and/or preliminary investigation; four had been convicted; five were already acquitted while four other suspects were released on bail but their cases are still on trial.

“The PNP’s anti-drug units are working closely with the Department of Justice to ensure the successful prosecution of the detained and out on bail suspects,” Robredo said.

He made the disclosure in the wake of President Aquino’s order for a crackdown against local and foreign drug syndicates who recruit and use OFWs as “drug mules” that end up in other countries, like the three Filipinos who were executed recently in China.

“We have an urgent directive from the President to go after local and foreign syndicates who recruit our nationals to be drug mules or couriers and at the same time intensify our campaign against big-time drug syndicates who manufacture, distribute and sell illegal drugs in the country,” Robredo said.

Based on the PNP report, the DILG chief said that of the 90 foreigners arrested for illegal drugs since 2003, 72 are Chinese nationals, 9 are Taiwanese; four are Malaysians, two are Singaporeans; while the three others are British, Korean and Macau nationals.

“Of the 90 foreigner drug suspects, 81 of them were tagged as manufacturers while 9 were engaged in big-time drug trafficking. The nine were arrested in buy-bust operations while the rest were nabbed during search and seizure operations,” Robredo said.

Chinese drug suspects Li Lan Yan and Li Tan Hua, both arrested during a search and seizure operations at their rented house at Marina Bay Homes, Paranaque in July 28, 2003 have been convicted by a Paranaque Court for the manufacture of more than 163 kilos of shabu.

Davao City Judge Romeo Albaraccin also convicted two other Chinese drugs suspects identified as Carlos Sy and Shi Jin Sheng, both of whom were arrested in Davao City in 2004 for maintaining and operating a shabu laboratory.

Robredo said that based on Bacalzo’s report, the PNP’s biggest recorded drug haul since 2003 was in  Mambungan, Antipolo City where PNP anti-illegal drugs special operations task force personnel arrested four Chinese nationals and seized 1,108 kilos of shabu, assorted precursors, chemical and laboratory equipment for making shabu.

The other recorded huge PNP drug haul was in March 2006 in Marawoy, LIpa City in Batangas where a lone Chinese national was arrested and seized 712 kilos of shabu, chemical precursors and equipment for the production of shabu.

The third recorded biggest recorded PNP drug haul was made during a raid inside an establishment being used as a shabu laboratory in Mandaue City in Cebu in September 2004 where 275 kilos of shabu were confiscated.

In the Mandaue City anti-drug operations, the PNP arrested nine suspects, composed of four Chinese nationals; two Taiwanese, two Malaysians, and one British, all believed to be members of an international drug ring operating in Southeast Asia.