MALUNGON, Sarangani (MindaNews / 5 Aug)—Sarangani Governor Rogelio Pacquiao on Monday called for vigilance among residents after authorities stumbled over the weekend a huge shabu laboratory being built in a remote village in Maitum, a town along the west coast of this province.
A scene inside one of the raided warehouses in Barangay Pinol, Maitum, Sarangani Province. Photo courtesy of PNP Region 12
“I urge all local government units (LGUs) and all Sarangans to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities to prevent the proliferation of illegal drugs,” Pacquiao said in a statement.
Armed with a search warrant, soldiers in combat gear aided policemen and anti-drugs agents as they swooped down on a compound where at least three warehouses are located in sitio Sagel, Barangay Pinol, Maitum, on Sunday.
The compound sits within a property which a Moro rebel group claims to be a part of their camp, a police report said.
Authorities found tools and equipment allegedly used in large-scale shabu manufacturing still in the process of being assembled inside the warehouses.
Col. Deanry Francisco, Sarangani police director, said their intelligence operatives have placed surveillance on the area for weeks after a Chinese national, identified only in police reports as “a certain Tommy,” was seen frequenting the area.
Police reports said Tommy is a resident of General Santos City.
“This prompted us to apply for a search warrant, hoping to chance upon the Chinese,” Francisco said. The Chinese, however, was not in the compound during the raid, he added.
The police official said they have already identified certain “powerful personalities” who helped set up the drug facility in the area.
Francisco declined to identify the said personalities, but he pointed out that they will be included in the criminal charges that will be filed against the Chinese national. (Rommel G. Rebollido / MindaNews)
