Police are checking the ownership of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that was abandoned shortly after midnight yesterday in a bridge in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
The vehicle, a Honda CRV with plate number RFC 205, was spotted by patrolling policemen along the Zamora-Sta. Mesa interlink bridge around 2 a.m., according to police.
Authorities used a remote rigging kit to unlock the vehicle so they could examine its contents, particularly a multicolored sack inside it.
After a K9 dog made a sweep around the vehicle followed by another check by the explosives ordnance division for explosives, policemen finally examined the bag that yielded 10 pieces of gold colored plastic packs labeled as Guanyinwang refined Chinese tea.
Each plastic pack is estimated to hold at least one kilo of suspected shabu.
Overall, authorities estimated the street value of the abandoned illegal drug at P50 million.
Police said the suspects may have abandoned the car and its contents because of checkpoint operations on both ends of the bridge.
“Siguro sa takot na rin sa pronouncement ng ating incoming president Rodrigo Duterte – yung galit niya sa ipinagbabawal na gamot at pinaigting din natin ang anti-crime strategy kaya iniwan ang mga droga,” Manila Police District (MPD) Director Rolando Z. Nana said.
The packs of suspected illegal drugs were sent to the crime laboratory for testing.