Agents from Taiwan, in a joint effort with US and Philippine authorities, cracked an international drug ring in the Philippine capital on Wednesday.
The Bureau of Investigation (BOI) said that agents had arrested two Taiwanese suspects and one Filipino suspect at the scene and discovered more than 20kg of amphetamines, which was ready to be sold in Taiwan.
Its investigation showed that more Taiwanese drug dealers are cooperating with dealers overseas, establishing their factories in southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam or Thailand, producing the drugs and then selling them back to Taiwan, China and even the US, the bureau said.
"We worked with our counterparts in the US and the Philippines on this case for more than half a year before we nailed them," said a BOI agent who wished to remain unidentified.
The agent said that the factory was established in a suburb of Manila.
The suspects had allegedly hired Chinese drug manufacturers to produce amphetamines for them.
"Hiring Chinese drug manufacturers seems to be a new trend for these international drug dealers," the agent added.
The agent said that the Philippine government is aware that the country has become a new hot-bed for amphetamine production as this was the fifth international drug dealing case concerning the production of amphetamines within the past two years.
As a result, the Philippine authorities have been carrying out a crackdown against amphetamine dealers and producers over the past few months.
According to the agent, most amphetamine factories are established in rural areas, but they can be easily spotted and located since there is unique smell secreted during the production of the drug.
However, in the Philippines, most amphetamine factories are located in areas which are also occupied by rebel guerillas.
"When you focus on dealing with these drug pushers, you also have to watch out for bullets from the guerillas," the agent said.
"It is just like a movie scene, I must say," he added.
In addition to the cooperation, BOI agents said they had offered retired service scooters and radios to their counterparts in the Philippines.
"We tried everything we could to get the job done," the agent said.
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