arms cache seized in ringleader’s condo

The Philippine National Policecriminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) seized last Monday a large cache of firearms in a raid on a Makati City condo unit allegedly occupied by a suspected ringleader of a Taiwanese criminal syndicate.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said 85 long and short firearms, including six sub-machine guns, and ammunition were found in the 7 p.m. raid in Barangay Poblacion.

“The search was a follow-up operation to an earlier police operation last March 1 launched through information provided by law enforcement counterparts from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) that successfully implemented warrants of deportation and mission order against three Taiwanese in Makati City that also led to the confiscation of four pistols and a submachinegun,” said Abalos in a press briefing in Camp Crame in Quezon City yesterday.

The subject of the search warrant during Monday’s raid, according to Abalos, was Zhang Xiaodong, alias “Lu Ming Chung,” whom he described as a suspected ringleader of a Taiwan-based criminal group.

Citing intelligence reports, Abalos said the group of Zhang is also involved in production of illegal narcotics, telecom fraud operations, and other illegal activities in the Philippines.

During the March 1 operation, Abalos said two of the three alleged cohorts of Zhang were linked to illegal drugs.

However, Abalos said Zhang was able to elude arrest during the implementation of a search warrant in his Makati condo on March 20.