4 Chinese nationals killed by Philippine police in drugs operation

• Police said the suspects, from Fujian and Shanxi, were ‘known distributors of illegal drugs’ and opened fire at police in a sting operation to buy crystal meth
• Thousands of people have been killed in President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, and the International Criminal Court is investigating the campaign.
  

Philippine police and a local community officer are seen during an anti-illegal drugs campaign in Quezon City, east of Manila, in 2018. Police said four Chinese nationals were killed in an operation on Monday. Photo: EPA-EF

 

Philippine police on Monday killed four Chinese nationals during an anti-drugs operation that lead to the confiscation of more than 262 million pesos (US$5.24 million) worth of crystal meth.

The suspects, from Fujian and Shanxi in China, were “known distributors of illegal drugs” in the capital and surrounding provinces, a police report said

 

Police set up a sting operation to buy crystal meth from the suspects in a residential subdivision in Angeles City, 83km north of Manila. Known locally as shabu, it is the most popular illegal drug in the Philippines.

A shoot-out erupted when police announced the bust, and the Chinese suspects opened fire, the report stated.

Police confiscated 38kg of crystal meth, four 45-calibre pistols and a mobile phone from the suspects after the gun battle, the police report said.

The suspects were believed to be connected to four Chinese suspects killed and three arrested in another buy-and-bust undercover operation in the northern province of Zambales last month.

Police seized 500kg of shabu worth nearly 4 billion pesos during the September 7 operation.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's administration has been implementing an aggressive campaign against illegal drugs since 2016, when he was elected on an anti-crime platform.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in police operations against illegal drugs in the Philippines in the past five years. Human rights groups have alleged that the toll could even be three times that number.

Last month, the International Criminal Court announced it would open a full investigation into Duterte's “war on drugs” campaign after a preliminary probe showed there was “a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population” due to a state policy.

(www.scmp.com)