GORDON SEEKS DFA ASSISTANCE IN SHABU SMUGGLING PROBE

In connection with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's ongoing probe into the importation of electronic magnetic lifters containing shabu, Senator Richard J. Gordon has sought the aid of the Department of Foreign Affairs in gathering information that would throw light upon the investigation.

In a letter dated 24 September 2018, Gordon has asked Foreign Affairs Secretary Allan Peter Cayetano for assistance from the Philippine Embassy and Consulate in China and Hong Kong in coordinating with pertinent Chinese authorities to gather information about KC Chan, a.k.a Chan Fhonie or Chan Yee Wah Albert; and Fung Ping Cheung, a.k.a. James Fong. Chan is reportedly a resident of Shenzhen City, China, while Fung is a holder of a Great Britain passport issued in Hong Kong.

"In this regard, we would appreciate the assistance of the Philippine Embassy and Consulate in China and Hong Kong, in coordinating with the appropriate authorities in their respective jurisdictions to gather any pertinent information on any official action, investigation or cooperation with local authorities that may have undertaken regarding the abovementioned individuals including criminal records, if any," he said in the letter.

"The PDEA seems to have arrived at the same conclusion that we have - that international drug syndicates, mostly run by Chinese, are operating in our country. It is also possible that Andy Cheng, the Hong Kong man they are looking for, who had been tagged as the local mastermind behind the shipment in Cavite, is also our guy. The PDEA can use any information that may come out in our investigation to strengthen cases they file to ensure that the perpetrators will be nailed," the senator said in the wake of reports that the alleged Chinese local mastermind is now the focus of the PDEA's investigation.

The Blue Ribbon Committee, which Gordon chairs, is investigating the importation to the Philippines, through the Bureau of Customs (BOC), of magnetic lifters containing drugs. A joint operative of the BOC and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency seized an abandoned container at the Manila International Container Terminal. Inside were two electronic magnetic lifters found to have 355 kilos of shabu concealed inside them. Similar magnetic lifters were also discovered in a warehouse in Cavite with indications that they were also used to store drugs.

To further shed light on the operation of the syndicate smuggling illegal drugs in the country, Gordon also asked Cayetano to direct the Philippine Embassies in Hanoi, Vietnam and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to contact the shipper companies used to transport the magnetic lifters to the Philippines to get information about the said shipments.

Among the information Gordon wanted was the name and contact details of the person or company in the Philippines who placed the order for magnetic lifters. He also wanted embassy officials to ask for the name and contact details of persons or companies who booked and paid for the shipments of the said industrial equipment.