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uthorities on Thursday conducted a search operation in a house turned drug laboratory in an exclusive subdivision suspected to be rented by a big drug syndicate in San Juan.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Guillermo Eleazar said joint operation was conducted around 7:30 am to implement a search warrant against a drug personality at No. 5 Arthur Street, North Greenhills.

"This was rented but we will not reveal for now the name of the owner because we are still investigating (the case). The one who rented the house, we are sure this is a syndicate but we don't want to identify the name of the group," Eleazar said in an ambush interview with reporters.

He said this drug syndicate is related to the arrest of an alleged Korean chemist arrested in the same city on Nov. 29

"What we can tell you, we arrested last week through joint operation a Korean chemist named Kim Jong Hee. It was a buy-bust operation after we caught his associate, Marvin Uy somewhere in Caloocan then we conduct (ed) follow-up operation. We caught him here in San Juan," Eleazar explained.

He said the items recovered inside Kim's van allegedly came from this house that was vacated a month ago.

He added this is a continuous operation as the group is trying to transfer their equipment and materials to a different location.

They were able to recover suspected shabu chemicals, undetermined quantity of controlled precursors and essential chemicals; and assorted suspected apparatus and equipment for manufacturing of shabu.

Eleazar said the clandestine laboratory can produce approximately 30 kilos of shabu with a street value of P204 million in a one-time complete process.

"We will let the experts analyze this and we also seized documents that will be our basis to trace or backtrack the members of this syndicate who are here to manufacture shabu," he said.

A case for violation of RA 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 is being prepared against the respondent. Ella Dionisio/DMS