MANILA: Three men were arrested by police in Manila Wednesday for alleged drug trafficking, who said they came from Taiwan, according to law enforcement authorities in the Philippines.
However, a representative of Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau in the Philippines said that based on the preliminary information provided by police in Manila, the three could not be Taiwanese, and that further investigation is needed to confirm their identities.
In the past, some suspects arrested in the Philippines have used fake identification in a bid to avoid certain criminal punishment, the representative said.
Joel Pagdilao, a superintendent of the National Capital Region Police Office in the Philippines, said that an investigation squad raided a luxury residential complex in Manila and arrested the three suspects.
The police chief said the police found about 25 kilograms of amphetamine on the premises.
The three suspects claimed to be 19, 24 and 27 years old, respectively, according to the police.
During questioning, the police also obtained information about a drug factory, and seized an additional 30 kg of amphetamine, raw materials for amphetamine production use, and drug-making equipment.
The seized 55 kilograms of amphetamine was valued at about 275 million Philippine pesos (US$5.84 million).
