MANILA — In a joint anti-drug operation on Tuesday, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency dismantled an alleged covert laboratory in Barangay Macamot, Binangonan, Rizal, and seized a sizable cache of suspected illegal drugs, restricted precursors, and laboratory equipment.
Operatives from the Special Enforcement Teams 1 and 2, PDEA Rizal Provincial Office, PNP Provincial Intelligence Team Rizal, Binangonan Municipal Police Station, and Rizal Police Provincial Office collaborated to execute a search warrant at approximately 11:40 p.m., according to a report from PDEA Regional Office 4A. at a Binangonan home.
Items believed to be used for the manufacturing of shabu were found by officials during the search.
Investigators think a well-organized group of foreign nationals, assisted by Filipino cohorts, were running the suspected laboratory.
To determine the full extent of the operation and identify every person engaged, follow-up investigations are still ongoing.
The subjects of the search warrant are being charged with violating Section 8 of Article II of Republic Act 9165, often known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Local officials said the suspects had been residing in the area for months, keeping minimal interaction with neighbors while frequently receiving deliveries of industrial-grade chemicals.
Evidence Recovered
PDEA reported seizing:
- reactors and heating apparatus
- drums of chemical precursors
- ventilation and filtration systems
- finished shabu ready for distribution
- documents believed to outline production schedules
Chemists from PDEA’s laboratory services are currently analyzing the recovered substances to determine the estimated production volume.
The discovery stunned residents, many of whom were unaware that such activity was occurring in their barangay.
“We never suspected anything. They kept to themselves and the gate was always closed,” a neighbor said.
Local officials praised PDEA for acting swiftly, saying the operation prevented the area from being turned into a distribution hotspot.
Authorities are now tracing the group’s possible connections to larger drug networks, both local and foreign. PDEA also said the laboratory’s setup suggests a high level of expertise, raising concerns about more clandestine labs operating elsewhere in the region.
