CRACK TEAMS DISPATCHED IN SEARCH OF DRUG SYNDICATE

Seven crack anti-narcotics teams of the Philippine National Police (PNP)
were dispatched yesterday to go after the financiers, head chemists and
protectors of shabu laboratories of the Chinese triads operating in the
country.

The heavily-armed police teams were deployed in Metro Manila, in Northern
and Southern Tagalog as well as the Bicol region where the Chinese members
of the drug syndicate were monitored in hiding after a series of debacles
they suffered recently.

Narcotics Group (NarcGoup) chief Director Efren Fernandez expects arrests
anytime this week. Fernandez said he is receiving an hourly update of his
mena TM s operations in the field.

"We have already identified most of the financiers, head chemists and
protectors of the Chinese triads operating in the country," a narcotics
official told The STAR. "We will get them in due time."

The NarcGroup decided to bring the battle against the Chinese triad drug
syndicate to their own turfs amid reports that they raised P10 million to
"hit back" at informers and anti-narcotics officials who dealt "a big blow"
recently to their illegal business.

"We will bring the battle right in their own backyards to show them that we
mean business," said the narcotics official who asked not to be identified.
"We are not afraid of them despite the fact that they are well-connected."

Since Fernandez took the helm of the NarcGroup last Nov. 14, his men were
able to neutralize shabu laboratories in Pasig City and San Juan, and
recovered close to 1,000 kilos of shabu in Quezon and Zambales and in Pasay
City and Manila. The NarcGroup also arrested at least 41 Chinese nationals
during the drug raids.

On top of the NarcGroupa TMs list was Cai Hontian alias Michael Chua and
Huwaiya, the head chemist of the makeshift shabu laboratory in Pasig City.
Reports reaching NarcGroup showed that Cai was arrested during the term of
jailed President Joseph Estrada but was able to "bribe" his way out.

The Chinese triad and their local counterparts panicked after the series of
successful raids conducted by NarcGroup, prompting them to put up a P10
million budget to "fight back." They are expected to lobby the two Houses
to discredit Fernandez and other ranking NarcGroup, officials whom they
believed to be behind their debacle.

Included in their agenda is a massive media campaign until Fernandez is
sacked by President Arroyo.

The Chinese triad had silenced recently David Sy-Lato, a civilian agent of
the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). At the time of his death,
Sy-Lato was working on the "money trail" of the Chinese nationals linked to
the San Juan shabu laboratory.