6 years after raid, still no ‘mastermind’
Fire of undetermined origin gutted a warehouse in Mandaue City yesterday, destroying half of what used to be the largest shabu factory in Asia.
The warehouse, owned by the Ng family, was not totally burned due to the quick response of firefighters, who put out the blaze 20 minutes after it was reported in the early hours of Saturday, said fire investigator Cyprian Codilla.
The warehouse in barangay Umapad had been closed down and was being preserved as evidence in a court case after the place, which turned out to be a “mega shabu laboratory,” was raided by Manila-based anti-narcotics agents in 2004.
Codilla said the fire broke out at 12:03 a.m. at the left side of the warehouse.
Randy Pedroso, director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Central Visayas, has asked the Mandaue City fire department to determine the cause of the fire.
The warehouse was supposed to have been secured by the police as part of evidence in the still unresolved case, he said.
Six years after the shabu laboratory was discovered, no Cebu mastermind or drug bosses have been identified or charged.
Two months after the 2004 raid, Calvin Tan, a Chinese national, who was identified as the alleged financier of the drug laboratory, was arrested in Hong Kong and extradited to the Philippines to face trial.
All 11 accused, including Tan, are now detained at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC).
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