Raid on shabu lab finds 2 Canadians with alleged links to Mexican cartel

(Updated 4:20 p.m.) Authorities have arrested two Canadians and a Filipino believed to be members of an international drug syndicate with ties to a Mexican cartel.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told reporters that the National Bureau of Investigation nabbed Canadian citizens James Riach and Barry Espadilla, as well as a Filipino named Tristan Olazo.



Quoting a report she got from the NBI, which is under the Department of Justice, De Lima said the three were arrested during a raid of a "kitchen-type shabu and cocaine laboratory" and four other areas.

It closely follows a raid in Lipa, Batangas in December on a house used by other cartel members, indicating what may be the growing presence in the Philippines of drug syndicates from the Americas.

A separate report from radio dzBB's Glen Juego earlier in the day said the NBI raided a condominium unit in Bonifacio Global City.

De Lima said the arrested suspects allegedly import material from Mexico and process them into shabu, cocaine, and ecstacy for distribution in night clubs and bars.

Authorities also confirmed Riach and Espadilla as members of a "dreaded crime gang" in Canada and have been convicted there for various crimes.

'High-tech lab'

Seized from the clandestine laboratory in a condo unit in Taguig City were finished narcotic products identified as cocaine, shabu and ecstasy, as well as drug paraphernalia like heaters, sealers, weighing scales, flasks, and other laboratory equipment.

In a separate report, GMA News' John Consulta described the shabu laboratory as "high-tech," allowing the suspects to conceal fumes from their operations.

The suspects were able to bring the illegal drugs in and out of the condominium building using sealed kitchenware, Consulta added.

Aside from drug paraphernalia, the NBI was also able to seize machines used to replicate ATM and credit cards from the suspects, according to the report.

The NBI also confiscated the suspects' cellphones, which are now being inspected for more leads on illegal drug manufacturers operating in Metro Manila, Consulta said in his report.

7 months in PHL

De Lima also quoted the NBI as saying the syndicate is known to have been operating in the Philippines for about seven months.

A report on radio dzBB earlier in the day quoted the NBI as saying a raid in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City resulted in the arrest of a Filipino and a Canadian, which the report did not identify.

Both allegedly belonged to a Mexican-Canadian-Iranian drug syndicate, the report quoted the NBI as saying.

At that time, however, the NBI was still unsure whether the two arrested hve links to the dreaded Mexican drug syndicate thought to have entered the Philippines. — with a report from Andreo CAlonzo /LBG/HS, GMA News