Authorities seize 84 firearms, hundreds of ammo in Makati

Authorities seized 85 firearms and hundreds of ammunition from a residence of a Taiwanese national in Rockwell Center, Makati City on Monday evening, officials said Tuesday.

In a press conference, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said a search warrant was served to Jiang Zhang Xiadong or “Liu Ming Chung” who eluded arrest.

“We confiscated in Rockwell, Makati City last night a large cache of 84 firearms and hundreds of rounds of assorted live ammunition during a search,” he said.

“Confiscated during the search were 13 rifles, 7 submachine guns, 65 handguns, ammunition, and gun accessories,” he added.

Abalos added that Xiadong was a suspected ringleader of a Taiwanese crime syndicate believed to be engaged in various criminal operations.

The serving of the search warrant was a follow-up to a police operation on March 1, where authorities implemented a deportation mission order against the three Taiwanese suspects.

Abalos said the arrested Taiwanese nationals were Chen Chien-Ning or Chang Yung-Han or Chang Yung Han, Wu Jheng Long or Wu Chang, Yang Zong Bao, and a juvenile.

Chen Chien-Ning was the “big boss” of the supposed organized group and a fugitive in Taiwan for the crime of kidnapping and was sentenced to a nine-year jail term. He escaped from justice in 2006.

His nephew, who was the arrested juvenile, is being trained in handling firearms, according to Abalos.

Wu Jheng Long is the "right  hand man" of the "big boss" and also a fugitive in Taiwan for drug-related violation

Yang Zong Bao, meanwhile, is allegedly the chemist of the organized crime group and also a fugitive in Taiwan for the crime of involvement in clandestine “shabu” laboratories.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Police Brigadier General Romeo Caramat Jr. said the arrested suspects will be deported on Wednesday.

According to him, the suspect at large is still in the Philippines. —VAL, GMA Integrated News