The Philippine National Police on Thursday announced the dismantling of a suspected clandestine drug laboratory operating in a remote island village in Occidental Mindoro.
PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said he had ordered a thorough investigation to identify and arrest those behind the alleged operation.
“The discovery of these chemical substances in Occidental Mindoro highlights a dangerous trend where drug syndicates exploit isolated island communities to evade detection, but the PNP is adapting quickly,” Nartatez said.
Elements of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group conducted the operation at around 3 p.m. on 26 May in Golo Island, Sitio Kaybunga, Barangay Bulacan in Looc following intelligence reports about a possible clandestine laboratory in the area.
Authorities recovered several chemical substances allegedly linked to the manufacture of illegal drugs. Police said forensic examinations are still ongoing to determine the exact nature of the materials and the scale of the operation.
Investigators are also validating the identities of individuals believed involved in the suspected drug network.
According to police, the operation stemmed from information provided by a suspect earlier arrested in Batangas who allegedly disclosed the existence of the laboratory.
Looc is part of the Lubang Island group off the northwestern coast of Occidental Mindoro, where several communities are accessible only by boat and have limited communication infrastructure.
Police said the recovered substances could lead to charges under Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which penalizes the manufacture of illegal drugs and operation of clandestine laboratories.
“To the syndicates attempting to hide in these remote areas: you cannot run from our unified inter-agency operations, and we will dismantle your networks from the bottom all the way to the very brains of your organization,” Nartatez said.