SUBIC BAY FREEPORT - Operatives of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group-Task Force Subic (PASG-TFS) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority's Law Enforcement Department (SBMA-LED) confiscated some P4.62-billion worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as "shabu", after a foiled attempt to smuggle the illegal drugs into the Subic Bay Freeport.

PASG chief Antonio Villar, Jr. and SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza yesterday said in a press conference here that operatives have seized a total of 770 kilograms of high-grade crystalline shabu, with an estimated street value of P4.62 million.

The suspected owner of the illegal drugs was identified as Anthony "Anton" Ang, a Chinese national living in Olongapo City, who co-owns Hualong International, Inc., a trading firm that began subleasing a property at the Subic Bay Industrial Park in 2003.

Hualong, whose operations included transshipment, import, export, warehousing and cargo consolidation of cigarettes and liquor, was padlocked by authorities here on Tuesday after the smuggling attempt was found out.

Arreza said this was the first time that an attempt to smuggle illegal drugs in Subic was made.

"We give credit to the diligence of our law enforcers here and the prompt assistance of PASG-TFS that resulted in the discovery of the shipment and the confiscation of the illegal drugs," he said.

Arreza said SBMA law enforcers discovered the smuggling try at about 8:00 p.m. on Sunday night when the SBMA Task Force "Bukas-Kotse" chanced upon an Outlander van suspiciously roaming the vicinity of the Riviera Pier here.

Subsequent surveillance of the vehicle, with platenumber RAE-615, showed that it later parked adjacent to the Taiwanese vessel "F/B Shun Fa Xing" berthed at Docks No. 7 & 8. SBMA officials said that according to an inward manifest issued by the Bureau of Customs the vessel had no cargo.

However, the SBMA patrol soon noticed that the vessel's crew began unloading boxes and loading them to the parked Outlander. When the vehicle tried to exit the SRF gate, the SBMA patrol, along with the gate guards, stopped the driver, who turned out to be Ang.

Ang reportedly refused to subject the contents of the boxes to inspection, declaring only that they contained "sensitive computer parts."

At the SBMA law enforcement office, Ang failed to present documents verifying the contents of the boxes and insisted that opening them would expose and damage the "sensitive computer parts."

The SBMA said Ang was "released on his own recognizance", along with his vehicle, but the cargo were detained, pending presentation of required documents as standard operating procedure in verifying undocumented imported items.

Ang reportedly returned on Monday to claim the goods, but again failed to present the required documents, and also refused to make a written acknowledgement that the boxes indeed contained "computer parts."

Ang then asked for more time to produce the documents, but never returned, prompting PASG and SBMA authorities to decide opening the boxes on Tuesday.

The eight boxes turned out to each contain five packets of crystalline substances that chemists from the National bureau of Investigation (NBI) analyzed and confirmed to be "high-grade" methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, weighing more or less 90 kilos.

This led operatives to conduct a raid at the Hualong warehouse where more boxes of shabu were found.

During the press conference, Villar and Arreza also received information that operatives had recovered two more boxes, with 20 kilos of shabu, floating at the area where "F/B Shun Fa Xing" docked.

At about 1:00 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday), 60 more boxes were reportedly found in a rented van parked in front of the Hualong warehouse.

At 2:30 p.m., joint PASG-SBMA operatives said they have already seized a total of 770 kilos of shabu, with an estimated street value of P4.62 billion.

Villar said Ang has been placed under surveillance by PASG-TFS "for some time now" because of intelligence reports that he was involved in the illegal importation of cigarettes and liquor.

He added that PASG has ordered manhunt operations against Ang, who was found to have left his residence in Olongapo City, along with his family.

PASG has also coordinated with the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) for the issuance of a hold-departure order against the suspect, and vowed to file necessary charges against all involved in the smuggling of shabu.

Authorities here have also closed the Hualong warehouse on Tuesday, and issued an order to search the offices and warehouses of the other five Hualong incorporators.

Vilar said the seized shabu shipment would be burned under the supervision of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the presence of PASG, SBMA and media representatives. (30)