“One thing leads to another” – a rational parlance that best typified the circumstances surrounding the implementation of an arrest warrant conducted by an elite squad of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) which stumbled upon a much larger bounty- a makeshift shabu laboratory on February 24, 2011.
PDEA Director General/Undersecretary JOSE S. GUTIERREZ, JR. stated that the operatives of the PDEA Intelligence and Investigation Service (IIS) headed by Acting Director Jigger B. Montallana, in coordination with the Police Community Precint (PCP) 1 and Sub Station1, Caloocan City Police under the Northern Police District led by PC/Supt. Edgardo Nadao ultimately served a six-month old arrest warrant issued by Hon. Maria A. Cancino-Erum, Executive Judge of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 210 in Mandaluyong against a certain JIMMY CHUA alias “Jessie Chua”.
The six-man team proceeded to the subject apartment located at 173 Unit C Asuncion St., Morning Breeze, Caloocan City. They found a lady occupant, later identified as XIAOYAN WANG, 22 years old, a Chinese national with her 5-month old son cradled in her arms. The woman, who hardly speaks nor understands English and Filipino, claimed that no Jimmy Chua resides there.
At the course of the conversation, the operatives overheard loud thuds of footsteps on the roof, which prompted the team to disperse inside and enclosed the area. On the second floor, they found suspect, CAI HONG XUAN, 30 years old, and a kitchen-type laboratory with some improvised equipment, drug paraphernalia and an undetermined amount of white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu.
Minutes later, they were able to apprehend CAI LIAN QIAO, 38 years old – owner of the footsteps heard and common law spouse of Wang. Consequent to the discovery of the shabu laboratory, the team, then consummated the arrest of the above named suspects. The operating team later searched the suspects’ vehicle, A Honda CRV with plate number ZHW-257, uncovering fifteen (15) shabu sachets located at the console of the SUV.
The PDEA Chief said, “They say, diligence is the mother of good luck. We were not able to arrest our prime target. However, the operation paid huge dividends by way of dismantling a clandestine laboratory manned by targeted international drug dealers. We are profoundly grateful for the support extended by our counterparts from the Caloocan City Police for their pro-active participation in this undertaking”. Derrick Arnold C Carreon, Chief, Public Information Office, PDEA
