Pubdate: Sat, 21 Aug 2004 Source: Manila Times (Philippines) Copyright: 2004, The Manila Times Contact: http://www.manilatimes.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/921 Author: Malou Dungog, Central Luzon Bureau Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) LAWMEN RAID HOUSE OF ZAMBALES OFFICIAL CASTILLEJOS, Zam-bales-Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement (PDEA) swooped down Friday on a house allegedly belonging to a top Zambales official to search for shabu and arrested a policeman-aide of the official who was in possession of high-powered firearms and ammunition. Anselmo Avenido, the PDEA director general, declined to identify the Zamables official but he tagged the policeman as Senior Police Officer 4 Orlando Cadawas. Also arrested was a still unidentified assistant of Cadawas. Some 50 PDEA agents, led by Avenido and Rodolfo Caisip, PDEA assistant director general, raided a house at San Diego Subdivision in Barangay San Jose here on Friday morning. The police were accompanied by three K-9 sniffing dogs that search the house for shabu, but they instead found in Cadawas' possession high powered firearms and ammunitions, such as an M-16 rifle, an AK-47 rifle and assorted ammunition. The raid was conducted based on four search warrant issued by Judge Enrico Lazamas of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 07. The warrants was issued by Senior Police Officer 2 Roque Bernabeo, operative investigator of the K-9 unit detailed with the PDEA at Fort Bonifacio, and his witnesses Reynaldo de la Cruz and Bonifacio Andrade. Although the PDEA agents did not find the shabu, the police arrested Cadawas and a still unidentified caretaker of the house. They were both brought to the PDEA headquarters in Makati City. Before they were transported to Metro Manila, Cadawas and his caretaker were brought to Vice Mayor Enrique Clarin of Castillejos. A simultaneous raid was also conducted on a Taiwanese farm, owned and operated by one Stinnes Huang of Gin Queen Corp., in Barangay Balaybay. The search on the Taiwanese farm was conducted under search warrant 04-5305, issued by Judge La-zamas. The police were looking for an undetermined amount of cultured and fully grown marijuana plants as well as processed marijuana leaves and other drug parapher-nalia, but the raid, in coordination with the Barangay captain of Barangay Looc, Balaybay Re-settlement, also yielded negative results. The Taiwanese company operates a plantation for green leafy vegetables and fruit, being distributed to clients in Manila and markets in nearby provinces. Vice Mayor Clarin said the raid has created commotion and disturbed the farm's operation. He also cited that the company was the lone foreign investor in the municipality. Clarin, meanwhile, assured the PDEA officials that the local government here will initiate immediate action and coordinate with the PDEA in case they got hold of information of any illegal drug trade in the town.