CEBU CITY, Cebu – The Region 7 office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Thursday cleared two Chinese nationals of a possible drug case, this after laboratory results in tests conducted on alleged toxic chemicals which authorities earlier confiscated on the belief that these were ephedrine, a chemical used in the manufacture of illegal substance, methamphetamine hydrochloride, were found to be negative.

PDEA7 Regional Director Adrian Alvariño said based on laboratory results from the agency’s main office the said powdered substance was found to be without the presence of dangerous drugs and any uncontrolled precursors.

“After we got the samples of the said substances, we immediately sent a PDEA personnel to have it checked in the main office for further examinations as initial field tests were positive,” he said.

The PDEA7 office obtained the lab results early morning yesterday. Such results posted negative on possible presence of dangerous drugs substance. The results of the laboratory test was signed by chemist, Shaila Seville.

Earlier, PDEA7 Director II Levi S. Ortiz disclosed that the three kilos of powder in sachets was identified as ephedrine during the initial, on-the-spot screening, which was the basis used by airport authorities to temporarily detain the two suspects.