PDEA nabs 3 Chinese, 3 Pinoys in Batangas shabu lab raid

Anti-illegal drugs authorities raided Thursday morning a shabu laboratory in a sprawling estate in Batangas and nabbed three Chinese and three Filipino helpers.

GMA News' John Consulta reported on Dobol B sa News TV that Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents targeted a 1.3-hectare livestock farm in Barangay Sto. Niño in the municipality of Ibaan, Batangas.

JUST IN: Shabu laboratory na tatlong linggo na umanong nag-o-operate, sinalakay ng PDEA sa Brgy. Sto Niño, Ibaan, Batangas; 6 katao kabilang ang tatlong chemist na Chinese national, arestado. | via John Consulta, @gmanews pic.twitter.com/WqrZ5fKKiQ

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PDEA sources told Consulta that the raid was supposed to coincide with a separate one in mainland China, as Chinese counterparts tipped local authorities about the Batangas laboratory. 

Six people were arrested during the raid, three Chinese and three Filipinos --a driver, an electrician, and a runner. 

By PDEA's estimate, the laboratory can produce 25 kilos of shabu in a day's operation. 

Also, the PDEA said that the laboratory had been in operation for three weeks, and that  neighbors confirmed of a strange stench emanating from the place.

As of Thursday morning, authorities recovered "liquid shabu" which they believed to be in the last phase of the production process. 

The inventory of the lab's equipment, chemicals,  and semi-finished products continued as of Thursday morning. —LBG/RSJ, GMA News