LOMIBAO SACKS PASIG POLICE OFFICIAL OVER SHABU DEN

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Arturo Lomibao
yesterday sacked the Pasig City precinct police chief in Sitio
Mapayapa, Barangay Sto. Tomas, Pasig City for allegedly not being
aware of a "one-stop-shop" shabu (hydrochloride methamphetamine) den
in a squatter's area in the barangay.

Lomibao was outraged by the discovery of the big shabu den on Ed
Soriano Street, Sitio Mapayapa.

The den was discovered after police authorities rounded up 300
persons, most of them teenagers, during a raid in the area.

He immediately ordered the relief of Chief Insp. Salvador de la Cruz,
chief of Police Community Precinct 20 and six of his policemen.

Based on its big group of regular clientele of drug addicts that
proceed to the area to sniff shabu, residents have tagged the compound
as "Nicaragua Den."

Pasig City Mayor Vicente "Enteng" Eusebio arrived at the scene and
expressed disgust over the existence of the shabu den.

Aside from undergoing retraining, Lomibao also ordered the seven
policemen to undergo drug test to determine if any of them is using
illegal drugs.

Combined elements of the Anti-illegal Drugs Special Operations Task
Force, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, PNP Special Weapons and
Tactics teams backed up by PNP Traffic Management Group swooped down
on the big drug den around 9 a.m.

According to AID-SOTF chief Director Marcelo Ele, the raid was
conducted after they placed the area on a week-long surveillance by
police agents.

Based on initial inventory, police seized from the drug den two kilos
of shabu, several drug paraphernalia, cash in small denominations that
were believed to be part of the earnings in the illicit drug business.

Police said they also recovered two hand guns from the shanties during
the raid.

One sack of aluminum foil and another half a sack of tooters were
among those seized by the raiding team.

The shabu den, which was composed of at least 100 shanties that were
strategically arranged like a big maze, was considered the biggest of
its kind that was discovered by police authorities in the history of
drug-bust operations in the country. It is located just a few blocks
away from the PCP 20 in Barangay Sagad which was being manned by De La
Cruz and his men.

Based on police information, it offered shabu in small amounts for the
consumption of drug addicts with small budget.

Ironically, a huge sign that said "Ingatan ang mga Kabataan Laban sa
Droga" was displayed at the entrance to the compound.

In one of the shanties that were raided, a big blackboard was used as
a shabu menu list for prospective clients.

About 300 persons were picked up by the raiding team and were taken on
a six by six trucks to undergo drug testing and investigation in
connection with the discovery of the drug den.

"It was a big shabu market. Parang tiangge. I cannot believe that such
thing existed," Lomibao said in an interview.

Lomibao added he would ask Pasig City Police Station Senior Supt. Raul
Medina to submit a report on the police findings on the shabu den.

Residents of the area told police authorities the shabu den has been
in existence for three years before it was raided by police
authorities.

Lomibao warned more police officials will be relieved of their posts
if investigation will show they have been remiss in their duties to
combat drug addiction and trafficking in the Pasig City area.