20 Chinese, Taiwanese nabbed in alleged drug den

MANILA, Philippines—Twenty Taiwanese and Chinese nationals have been arrested and charged with running an illegal drug den under the guise of a KTV bar in Pasay City, police said.

Armed with a search warrant issued by a Pasay court, a team of policemen from the Southern Police District raided the Blue Bird KTV bar at Lifestyle 2 Building of the Hobbies of Asia Mall on Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City early Saturday, according to a belated police report on the incident that was released only on Tuesday.

The report said some of the foreigners were caught in the act of sniffing cocaine.

The foreigners, including the owners and employees of the KTV Bar, underwent inquest proceedings on Tuesday on charges of violating sections 6 and 7 of the RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 which penalizes those found maintaining and visiting a den used for illegal drugs.

Chief Inspector Marlon Quimno, who led the raiding team, said a significant amount of white powdery substance believed to be cocaine and drug paraphernalia were recovered from the suspects.

“We got a report from a concerned citizen about the KTV bar being used as a drug den. For three months, we did surveillance to verify the report and it was true,” Quimno told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a telephone interview.