SUBIC, ZAMBALES - A 50-meter fish carrier vessel that allegedly served as a "floating shabu laboratory" was seized by authorities along the coast of Barangay Calapandayan, Subic, Zambales on Monday night.

PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa, who boarded the fishing vessel, said the boat was being used to bring illegal drugs to the Philippines from abroad.

"Sa loob lang ng dalawang araw, nakakagawa na ng shabu. Ibabagsak sa dagat, may pipick-up na Pinoy sa mga lugar. Route possibly Ilocos to Cagayan and Ilocos to Pangasinan from Subic,” he said.

Four Chinese from Hong Kong were arrested in the operation.

According to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), three of the four suspects are first-timers in the Philippines; one or two of them possibly chemists of the clandestine laboratory.

A plastic bag containing what could be shabu was recovered in the bag of one of the suspects.

Richard Chua, alien control officer of the Bureau of Immigration said, “Isa sa kanila ang kapitan ng barko. Base sa passport nila dumating sila pitong araw na sa Pilipinas lahat sakay ng Cathay Pacific mula Hong Kong. Tatlo sa apat ang first timer, samantalang iyung isa, in and out sa Pilipinas.”

The big question is, what were they doing aboard the fishing vessel in the middle of the sea?

Authorities are still investigating if they were producing shabu while on board the vessel.

PNP Anti Illegal Drugs Group head Chief Supt. Bert Ferro said it is possible that the floating shabu laboratory may have manufactured and delivered the around 180 kilos of shabu recovered in Claveria, Cagayan.