Pubdate: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines) Copyright: 2006 Philippine Daily Inquirer Contact: http://www.inquirer.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1073 Author: Luige A. del Puerto, Edson C. Tandoc Jr. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/women.htm (Women) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids) 179 IN PASIG RAID TEST POSITIVE FOR DRUGS MORE than half of the 285 persons who were tested for illegal drugs following their arrest in a drug bust in Pasig City last Friday have tested positive. As of 3 p.m. yesterday, 179 people had tested positive for shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride, 11 of whom were minors. "We still hope that many would turn out to be negative," said Director Marcelo Ele, the chief of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) which conducted the raid. A total of 319 persons -- composed of 260 adults and 59 minors -- had been arrested in the raid on a compound of about 40 shanties serving as "one-stop shop shabu restaurants" on F. Soriano Street in Pasig City. As of yesterday, 285 urine samples had already been taken although it was not clear if all the suspects would undergo testing. Ele said that during Friday's raid, the police team invited two councilmen from Barangay Palatiw to witness and to sign the inventory of evidence taken from the site as required by law. However, the councilmen could not be found, along with the chairman of the barangay (village). "They disappeared," Ele said. Luckily, a councilman and several watchers from the nearby barangay of Sto. Tomas helped out, according to Ele. (The area where the shabu center is located is the subject of a boundary dispute.) It was obvious that the center had the cooperation of the community, the police official said. Ele described it as "impregnable;" it even had its own closed circuit TV to monitor the people coming in and out of the area. Following the raid, Pasig City Mayor Vicente Eusebio had ordered the demolition of the shanties inside the compound on F. Soriano Street. In addition, the 19-man team of the Police Community Precinct 20 of the City Police had been relieved, as well as the entire anti-narcotics units of the Pasig City Police and the Eastern Police District (EPD). The policemen were also sent for drug testing to the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame the other day to determine if they themselves were using drugs, EPD director Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela said. - --- MAP posted-by: Tom