SBMA: Subic as ‘illegal drugs transshipment point’ an exaggeration
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT - The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has strongly denied a statement by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) that the Subic Freeport has become a transshipment point for illegal drugs from several countries in Asia.
"That is a sweeping statement," stressed SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza in a media statement released on Friday.
"To say that Subic has become a transshipment hub just because of one shipment is an exaggeration. It is also grossly unfair, particularly to the SBMA patrol who was instrumental in breaking the case," he added.
Arreza’s statement came in the wake of a statement by the country’s top drug enforcement official that Subic is being used by international drug syndicates to transship illegal drugs.
PDEA director Dionisio Santiago was quoted in media reports as saying that the confiscation by law enforcers here on Wednesday of 770 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, "proved that Subic is being used as a transshipment point."
"In the 15 years that the Subic Bay Freeport had existed, this was the first time this happened," Arreza pointed out. "This is certainly an isolated case," he said.
Arreza also said that the fact that it was an SBMA patrol who first caught on the attempt to smuggle the drugs "only proves the diligence of SBMA law enforcers in preventing illegal activities" in Subic.
"PDEA should not blame law enforcers in Subic if narcotics agents find it difficult to operate here," Arreza also said in reaction to Santiago’s claim that team work among law enforcement agencies "is not solid."
Arreza said that as a free port, Subic is primarily under the jurisdiction of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG), which has recently taken over the operational control of Task Force Subic (TFS), the anti-smuggling unit here.
"But the SBMA is willing to cooperate with any agency, as we closely work together with the PASG," he added.
Arreza also stressed that Subic has "one of the highest levels of security found in any economic zone in the country." This has proven to be a great deterrent to criminal syndicates wanting to exploit the free port status of Subic, he added.
Arreza said SBMA law enforcers discovered the smuggling try when they chanced upon the suspicious offloading on Sunday night of eight boxes from F/B Shun Fa Xing, a Taiwanese fishing boat docked at Subic’s Riviera Pier.
Anthony Ang, a Chinese national living in Olongapo City who allegedly tried to bring the boxes out of Subic’s SRF compound, purportedly initially declared that the boxes contained "sensitive computer parts."
But Ang, who co-owns the Subic import-export firm Hualong International, Inc., reportedly went missing with his family after failing to provide documents for the cargo on Monday, prompting PASG-TFS and SBMA-LED to open the boxes on Tuesday.
The eight boxes turned out to allegedly each contain five packets of crystalline substances that chemists from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) analyzed and confirmed to be "high-grade" shabu, weighing more or less 90 kilos.
Subsequent operations led to the discovery of more shabu allegedly at the Hualong warehouse, as well as another vehicle parked near the building. On Wednesday afternoon, joint PASG-SBMA operatives said they had already seized a total of 770 kilos of the illegal drug.
Meanwhile, PASG chief Antonio Villar Jr. said he has ordered manhunt operations against Ang.
PASG has also coordinated with the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) for the issuance of a hold-departure order against the suspect, Villar said. - Jess Malabanan - ABS CBN NEWS
"That is a sweeping statement," stressed SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza in a media statement released on Friday.
"To say that Subic has become a transshipment hub just because of one shipment is an exaggeration. It is also grossly unfair, particularly to the SBMA patrol who was instrumental in breaking the case," he added.
Arreza’s statement came in the wake of a statement by the country’s top drug enforcement official that Subic is being used by international drug syndicates to transship illegal drugs.
PDEA director Dionisio Santiago was quoted in media reports as saying that the confiscation by law enforcers here on Wednesday of 770 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, "proved that Subic is being used as a transshipment point."
"In the 15 years that the Subic Bay Freeport had existed, this was the first time this happened," Arreza pointed out. "This is certainly an isolated case," he said.
Arreza also said that the fact that it was an SBMA patrol who first caught on the attempt to smuggle the drugs "only proves the diligence of SBMA law enforcers in preventing illegal activities" in Subic.
"PDEA should not blame law enforcers in Subic if narcotics agents find it difficult to operate here," Arreza also said in reaction to Santiago’s claim that team work among law enforcement agencies "is not solid."
Arreza said that as a free port, Subic is primarily under the jurisdiction of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG), which has recently taken over the operational control of Task Force Subic (TFS), the anti-smuggling unit here.
"But the SBMA is willing to cooperate with any agency, as we closely work together with the PASG," he added.
Arreza also stressed that Subic has "one of the highest levels of security found in any economic zone in the country." This has proven to be a great deterrent to criminal syndicates wanting to exploit the free port status of Subic, he added.
Arreza said SBMA law enforcers discovered the smuggling try when they chanced upon the suspicious offloading on Sunday night of eight boxes from F/B Shun Fa Xing, a Taiwanese fishing boat docked at Subic’s Riviera Pier.
Anthony Ang, a Chinese national living in Olongapo City who allegedly tried to bring the boxes out of Subic’s SRF compound, purportedly initially declared that the boxes contained "sensitive computer parts."
But Ang, who co-owns the Subic import-export firm Hualong International, Inc., reportedly went missing with his family after failing to provide documents for the cargo on Monday, prompting PASG-TFS and SBMA-LED to open the boxes on Tuesday.
The eight boxes turned out to allegedly each contain five packets of crystalline substances that chemists from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) analyzed and confirmed to be "high-grade" shabu, weighing more or less 90 kilos.
Subsequent operations led to the discovery of more shabu allegedly at the Hualong warehouse, as well as another vehicle parked near the building. On Wednesday afternoon, joint PASG-SBMA operatives said they had already seized a total of 770 kilos of the illegal drug.
Meanwhile, PASG chief Antonio Villar Jr. said he has ordered manhunt operations against Ang.
PASG has also coordinated with the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) for the issuance of a hold-departure order against the suspect, Villar said. - Jess Malabanan - ABS CBN NEWS
Labels: Armand C. Arreza, drugs, pasg, pdea, sbma, shabu, smuggling, subic
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
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