22-kg shabu seized from 2 suspected drug syndicate members in Makati

Police seized 22 kilograms of high-grade shabu from two suspected members of a drug syndicate ina buy-bust in Guadalupe, Makati City Monday morning.

Chief Superintendent Tomas Apolinario, Southern Police District (SPD) director, identified the suspects as Maria Rosario Echaluce, 38, and her nephew Angelo Echaluce, 19, both of Cervo Compound, Bilibiran, Binangonan.

The two were presented before PNP chief Director General Ronald Espinosa in a press conference in Camp Crame.

“Ito ay buy-bust operation. Sinubaybayan ito ng DAID (District Anti-Illegal Drugs) ng SPD at ito nga na-monitor namin may magdadala papuntang Cebu kaya nag-conduct kami ng buy-bust operation,” Apolinario said in an interview with radio dzBB.

Initial information showed the suspects sold to a poseur buyer one kilo of suspected shabu packed in a sealed transparent plastic worth P1 million. Seized from them after the arrest were the remaining amount of shabu contained in a trolley luggage.

Also recovered from them were the marked money and one cellphone.

Apolinario said the suspects could be members of a big drug syndicate and that their contact is detained at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

He said they suspect that the drug syndicate's mastermind is a Chinese national based on Hong Kong.

"[Ang] kanilang mastermind ay wala sa bansa, nasa ibang bansa and they are operating from outside of our country," the police official said.

“May mga tao lang sila dito na taga store, deliver, taga benta,” he added.

Apolinario said the suspects have given them names of their cohorts, but he refused to provide more details.

In a press conference, Dela Rosa reprimanded the drug suspects who covered their head.

“Ginawagawa n’yo tapos mahihiya kayo. Kadami nito o ilang kilo tapos nahiya kayong humarap,” he said.

Contact in NBP

Dela Rosa said Maria Rosario’s contact was her boyfriend, a certain Leo Labadero, a native of Cebu and who was detained in the NBP's maximum security compound.

“Yung babae na ito may ka-live-in siya sa loob ng Bilibid, nasa maximum security compound at yung ka-live-in niya sa Bilibid iyon ang kumo-contact sa Hong Kong. ‘Yung Intsik dun sa Hong Kong may tinatawagan na Intsik dito sa Pampanga, yun ang nagpapa-deliver dito,” he said.

He said the drug suspects are selling shabu like an ordinary ware.

“Nilalako nila sa bag na ganito (trolley), wala silang sasakyan. Parang normal lang, sumasakay sila ng bus, ganun kasimple ang kanilang operation,” he said.

Dela Rosa believes that Maria Rosario’s boyfriend is an underling of big-time drug lords in the NBP and is now taking over the operation.

“Iyong mga drug lord na Chinese at Filipino na-identify na natin at nilagay sa Building 14 at ginwardyahan nang husto para hindi na maka-contact sa China. Ang problema may naiwan pa na iba, itong mga bata nila ang kumo-contact sa Hong Kong, nagpapa-ship sa another Chinese sa Pampanga,” he said.

He said he does not know how the inmates are able to contact Hong Kong drug traffickers amid the tight security measures being implemented at the NBP.

Two new signal jammers were recently installed at the NBP's maximum security compound to prevent high-profile inmates from making illegal transactions using their mobile phones.

“I don’t know kung paano nila ginawa yung kanilang komunikasyon. Maaaring ito ay bumisita doon without cellphone, bibisita doon, pagbisita ito ang binibigyan ng instruction at kung nasa labas ito ay pwede na silang mag-communicate sa Hongkong o sa China,” he said.

“Human contact ang tawag diyan. Very creative ang mga tao na ito kung paano magpapalusot ng droga,” he added.

Dela Rosa warned Maria Rosario’s inmate boyfriend that he would wring his neck if he would not spill his connections.

“Pipilipitin ko ang leeg mo hanggang sabihin mo ang Chinese na yan,” said the PNP chief. —ALG, GMA News